New Beginning
by ELY20
Summary: This story will take place directly after the last episode of season 3. Daryl is trying to get used to the people of Woodbury being at the prison, but he eventually begins to retreat from the group and gravitate toward Carol. Romance will blossom between them.
1. Chapter 1

Daryl Dixon was not a fan of change. Of course, he'd gotten used to a lot of change ever since the dead had started walking, but that didn't mean that he had to like it. He knew without a doubt that bringing the people of Woodbury back to the prison was an excellent idea. Having more people would help lighten the workload considerably, giving Daryl and the others a chance to relax for once. The group seemed to be full of healthy, young adults, but Daryl noted that there were a lot of elderly and several other children to be taken care of.

Daryl knew that he should be more excited about the group expanding, but instead he found himself dreading life in the prison. He already felt like a caged animal half the time, anyway. With nearly fifty new people moving in, he knew he would be feeling down right claustrophobic after awhile. He wasn't sure if he was ready for screaming children, cranky old folks, or chatter boxes looking to engage him in a conversation.

Daryl watched as Rick played tour guide for the new people, taking them around the prison grounds, telling them which spots were safe and which were to be avoided. He didn't envy the man that job and decided he would hide in the shadows, lest he be forced to engage in any kind of social interaction at all.

"Are you okay?" Someone asked from behind him. He flinched and turned around briskly, ready to knock out whoever had come to bother him. He was sure that it was some newbie thinking that they could chat him up.

He relaxed when he realized it was Carol. He would never admit it out loud, but he was always glad to see her whenever she graced him with her presence. In a world full of change, Carol was the one consistent thing in his life. She was always there for him, even when he sometimes didn't want her to be. She gave him just the right amount of space but never let him get too far into his own head.

"I'm fine," He replied a little harshly, turning back around to watch Rick and the Woodbury crowd.

"Isn't it wonderful?" She asked, coming to stand beside him. They both stood in silence for several seconds, watching Rick and the group as they walked along the fence.

"What?" He asked confused.

"The people from Woodbury," She replied, smiling. He looked over at her and took note of how nice she looked with the sunlight shining on her face and her lips turned up in an easy smile.

Carol continued, "We have a chance at a new beginning now. With the Governor gone and more people to help out around here, we can start turning this place into a real home. Hershel and some of the others have already talked about starting a garden on the grounds to grow fresh vegetables, and some of the men were going to go on a run for furniture and toys for the kids. Everything's so exciting, don't you think?"

Carol turned to face Daryl, her face lighting up at the words she'd spoken. He could see the wheels turning in her head and knew she had her own ideas about how to make the prison more like a home. Daryl gave her a rare smile and nodded his head. Carol had been through so much: an abusive husband, the death of her daughter, the deaths of many in the group. Still, she had faith that everything would work out and that the prison really could become a home for them.

Daryl decided that he too should have the same faith as the tiny woman beside him and embrace this new beginning with open arms and the changes, both good and bad, that would follow.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been nearly a month since Rick had brought back the people of Woodbury, and just as Daryl predicted, he was already getting sick of them. They had cleared out more of the prison so that everyone could have their own cell to bed down in, but that didn't mean that people weren't running around at all hours.

Daryl supposed that if he had moved into a cell he wouldn't be so agitated with everyone walking around, but he'd kept his spot on his perch and now he was seriously regretting it.

Daryl had finally had enough when he was awakened in the middle of the night by a woman wandering around with a screeching newborn, presumably trying to shut it up.

Daryl watched as the woman wandered from cell to cell, in search of the good doctor, Hershel. One by one, everyone came out of their cells to see what was going on.

"I need help. I think there's something wrong with my baby," The woman blubbered. The baby started crying harder.

"Good Lord," Daryl muttered as Maggie escorted the woman to Hershel and Beth's cell. Lil Ass-kicker didn't make half the noise that these other kids did. Daryl made quick work of packing up all his belongings as the others returned to their cells, all of them except for Carol, who stood leaning against the wall, staring off into space.

When all of his things were packed, Daryl headed down to Carol's cell. She eyed him suspiciously as he approached.

"What's going on, Daryl?" She asked, wrapping her sweater tighter around her body.

"Congratulations, you just got yourself a roommate," He grumbled, pushing past her into the tiny cell. He threw all of his belongings into the corner, grabbing his sheets so he could dress the bare top bunk mattress.

"I don't remember putting in any request for a roommate," Carol said, coming into the room.

Daryl glared at her until he realized she was only teasing.

"The top bunk alright with you?" Daryl asked her, making his voice soft. He already knew it was, but he thought he would be polite and ask her.

"Top bunk is fine. I wasn't using it for anything. May I ask why I'm getting a roommate?"

Daryl huffed, "I just can't take it no more. I took the perch so I could keep watch and avoid sleeping in a cage, but these people are driving me bat shit crazy. Can't get no sleep, ain't got no privacy. Doesn't anyone understand that concept anymore?"

Carol laughed at his obvious frustration, "Things will get better, Daryl. The adjustment has been hard on all of us. I don't mind if you stay in here, though. Stay as long as you need to."

Daryl hopped up on the top bunk and adjusted himself until he was in a comfortable position. Carol slipped into the bottom bunk. He listened as she tossed and turned until she finally got still.

"It ain't that I don't want 'em around, I just…" Daryl struggled to find the right words to express what he was feeling. He silently cursed his socially awkward nature and his inability to connect with others. He realized that he wasn't owning up to the vow he'd made to himself to start embracing the changes.

"I get it, Daryl. I know what it's like to not know how to connect. This is a big adjustment, for you as well as me. We'll get through it, though."

Daryl highly doubted it, but he let her words replay over and over again in his head, hoping that eventually he'd believe them.

"Night, Carol," He said quietly.

"Good night, Daryl," Carol replied sleepily.

With her words still replaying in his mind, Daryl slipped into the best sleep he'd gotten in weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl was standing outside with Rick, watching as Carl helped some of the other kids with the gardening. Carl laughed at something one of the other boys said, and Daryl watched as Rick's face lit up. For awhile there, everyone had been worried about Carl. The poor boy had been forced to shoot his own mother, and he'd killed a surrendering member of Woodbury when the Governor had come for them that last time. Daryl himself knew what having to put down a family member was like; he couldn't imagine someone Carl's age having to go through everything that Daryl had felt when he'd been forced to kill Merle.

"He looks good, right? Like he's happy?" Rick asked from beside him.

"Yeah, he does," Daryl said gruffly, uncomfortable but knowing his friend needed him.

"At first I wasn't sure if bringing them all back was a good decision. All the usual worries went through my head, but I know it was worth it. It was all worth it just to see that smile on his face. I haven't seen him act like a kid in so long," Rick's voice faltered and Daryl looked over to see the man trying to cover up the tears that had started to fall with a swipe of his hand.

Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, Daryl responded with, "Ya did the right thing, Rick."

Daryl didn't wait for him to respond as he turned and walked back toward the prison, needing to be alone with his thoughts for awhile.

He had just entered the group's cell block, looking forward to spending a couple hours in the cage cleaning his bow and arrows. A woman came walking toward him from the other end of the block. He only knew her as a former member of Woodbury; he had no idea what her name was. She looked to be in her early twenties. She had long, curly brown hair and wore an ill-fitting T-shirt over a pair of jeans.

"Hey, Daryl," She said, smiling at him and giving him a wave as she passed him. Daryl scrunched his face up in confusion. How the hell did she know his name? No damn privacy, he thought to himself as he entered his and Carol's cell.

Daryl was surprised to see Carol in their cell. With the weather being so pleasant, she was usually outside.

"Sounds like you have an admirer," Carol said by way of greeting, smiling up at him and he threw himself onto the top bunk.

"More like a stalker," He replied angrily, still annoyed by the Woodbury woman, "I don't even know how she knows my name. It's creepy."

"Did you ever think that maybe she asked around and someone told her?" Carol said as she folded her clothes, stacking them in a neat pile on the concrete floor.

"I don't like it," Daryl responded.

"Oh, you're just being childish. You should have said hello back. You could make a new friend…or maybe something more," Carol told him, waggling her eyebrows up at him suggestively.

Daryl threw his pillow at her, hitting her square in the face and letting out a rare laugh. He was glad that he and Carol had the kind of relationship where they could joke around.

"Can't have people thinking I'm too nice. Word might spread and I'd have to beat the bitches away with a stick."

Carol busted into a fit of laughter, laughing as she left the room and headed down to the cafeteria to get started on lunch with some of the other women.

Daryl smirked at her retreating form and listened as her laughter echoed throughout the cell block. Not many people found him amusing, but for some reason Carol did, and making her laugh was one of the best parts of his day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: As I'm sure all of you know, I don't own anything related to The Walking Dead.**

The mysterious Woodbury woman was beginning to drive Daryl crazy. Ever since their first encounter in the cell block, he'd started seeing her around everywhere. It was like he'd given her some sort of silent signal that he didn't even know about that gave her permission to stare at him and be near him all the time.

He glared at her now as she stared at him from across the cafeteria where they were all eating breakfast. He was positive he was giving her the meanest look he could, but she simply smiled at him and continued talking with her friends. Daryl sighed, defeated.

"You really shouldn't be giving her those looks, you know," Carol told him from her spot beside him. Carol was the only person he could stand to sit with at meal time. She didn't try to talk to him like everyone else did. They usually sat in the back, giving them a table to themselves. At first he thought that she would hate sitting at a table with just him, because he knew she liked talking with the other women, but so far she seemed content to sit beside him every day in silence.

"Why not?" He asked confused.

"Because she thinks you're interested," Carol said thoughtfully. Daryl choked on his oatmeal, glaring as Carol began to laugh at him. He took a drag from his water bottle, trying to stop his hysterical coughing, which was starting to attract attention.

"What the hell? You tryin' to kill me?"

"No," She responded, still laughing, "I was just trying to give you some advice. You keep staring at her with what you think is a glare, but holding her gaze like that just tells her that you're interested. If you're not interested, then stop staring the woman down. Unless, of course, you are interested. Then you can keep staring."

Daryl's face turned red and he glared at Carol. Of course he wasn't interested in her. Sure, she was nice and attractive, but he just wasn't interested.

"I ain't interested," Daryl replied angrily, shoveling more oatmeal into his mouth.

"Then I think you should tell her that so no one's feelings get hurt," Carol said, sounding very wise.

Daryl nodded. He knew that was the right thing to do, but he wasn't good at the whole talking thing.

"How do I…? I mean, what if she tries…?" Daryl turned red as Carol turned to him and laughed again.

"What if she tries what, Daryl? She's not going to corner you and rape you. At least, I don't think she would," Carol said seriously, watching as the big redneck squirmed. He could kill a dozen walkers with no problem, but when it came to talking to someone, Daryl was a disaster.

"Daryl, relax, I'm just kidding. Look, just pull her over to the side and tell her you aren't interested. She'll understand and leave you alone."

"Is it that easy?" Daryl questioned, eyeing Carol suspiciously.

Carol laughed, "Yes, it is. You'll do fine. And you know where I'll be if you need me."

Without a second thought, Daryl got up from their table and headed straight for the mystery woman's, determined to get this shit straightened out before someone got the wrong idea.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to The Walking Dead.**

Daryl approached the mystery woman's table, his hands shaky and his face red. She and her friends stopped talking and looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

"Can I speak to you a minute?" Daryl said harshly, walking away and out of the cafeteria to wait for her. She had a huge grin on her face when she stepped around the corner.

"I was wonderin' when you were finally gonna speak to me," She said, moving closer to him. For every step she took forward, he took one step back.

"Yeah, um, I'm ain't interested-"

"Oh, I get it," She interrupted him, backing him into a wall, "I can tell you're the quiet type. We can keep this totally low-key if you want."

He didn't have time to respond before she leaned in close and kissed him on the cheek. Daryl flinched, unsure what he should do. His first thought had been to shove her away. Not in a mean way; pushing people away was his natural defense, whether it was physically or emotionally.

"Look, I ain't interested in ya. I kept givin' ya those looks 'cause I was tryin' to get ya to leave me alone. Ain't nothing personal."

The girl looked confused for a second, before her expression turned to one of hurt, and eventually acceptance.

"Well, thanks for letting me know, I guess. I'll see you around, Daryl," With that, she turned around and headed back in the direction of the cafeteria, not sparing him another glance.

He stood there for a second, contemplating if he'd made the right decision. In a world like this, love was a rare thing to find. He wondered if he should have agreed to get with the girl, maybe learn some things about her and see what happened.

He looked up as people starting leaving the cafeteria to get back to whatever they'd been doing before. He watched as Carol walked out with a group of women from Woodbury, laughing at something that one of them had said. It was then he realized he'd made the right decision in telling the girl that he wasn't interested.

As night fell, Daryl returned to his and Carol's cell, tired from a long day of working in the hot sun. He'd helped Rick and some of the other men pick up debris from the blown up guard tower.

When he entered the cell, Carol was sitting up on her bed, reading a book. She put the book down and looked at him as he set his gear down in the corner.

"Well, how did it go this morning?" She asked him.

"Fine. Told her I wasn't interested," He didn't look at her as he responded.

"That's good. You didn't break her heart, did you?" Carol asked, amusement in her voice.

Daryl looked at her and smirked before hopping up on his bed, "I think she'll recover."

He heard Carol laugh from underneath him, "Yeah, I guess she'll have to."

They were quiet for awhile until Daryl heard her clear her throat and ask, "Daryl, can I ask you a personal question?"

Daryl sighed. He knew nothing good could come from those words, "I guess, if you feel like you got to."

"Why weren't you interested in her? I mean, most men would have jumped at the chance to be with someone like her in a world like this. I guess I'm just wondering why you would pass up a chance at happiness. She seemed nice enough."

Daryl sighed. He didn't respond because he wasn't sure how to. Carol was right; he should have jumped at the chance to be with her. She was nice, attractive, and held her own within the group. Still, he didn't find his heart racing whenever he saw her. To him, she was just another face. She didn't know what he'd been through or who he was. She could never understand him and accept him for who he was. Not like Carol did.

_Not like Carol did_. Daryl was shocked as the thought floated into his brain. All day long he'd been trying to figure out why it was that he hadn't been interested in the girl. Now he knew why. From the time that Sophia had gone missing, Daryl and Carol had shared a bond that had only gotten stronger since then. He considered her the closest thing to a best friend he'd ever had, but he'd never considered them being anything more than that.

He didn't know what to do with a girlfriend or lover or whatever. Truth be told, he'd never had one before. He'd never even had sex before, not that he'd admit that out loud. Carol was a real woman. She'd been married with a child, for God's sake. Sure, Ed had been an asshole, but how could he ever meet her expectations? There were plenty of other men around that could treat her right and give her a nice life. What did he have to offer anyone?

"Daryl? Are you still awake?" Carol asked, startling him.

"Yeah. I just didn't like her, okay? Now shut your trap and go to sleep."

Carol laughed softly, "Okay. Good night, Daryl."

"Night, woman," Daryl replied before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl had spent the better part of his morning outside, working on his bike. There wasn't really anything wrong with it, but he needed the space to clear his head. His realization from the night before had him feeling confused. Up until now, he'd always thought of Carol as a good friend, someone that shared a painful past similar to his own that he could relate to. Now that his feelings for her had changed, he had no idea what to say to her or how to tell her.

Daryl heard a noise from behind him and turned around swiftly, wrench in hand, to see a small boy standing a few feet away from him. The boy was filthy and his curly blonde hair was shiny with grease. Daryl didn't know his name, but recognized him as one of the orphaned children from Woodbury whose parents had been killed by The Governor.

"What do ya want, kid?" Daryl asked him, annoyed. He didn't like being snuck up on.

The boy walked over to him, his little arms crossed over his chest. Daryl smirked at him. The boy looked like he was only six or seven, but he probably had the attitude of a fifteen year old. He was wearing a plaid shirt with the arms ripped off, blue jeans, and boots. Daryl couldn't help but notice the resemblance the two of them shared.

"What are you doin'?" The boy asked him, sitting beside him.

"Tunin' up my bike. What are you doin' out here by yourself?"

"I was tired of being inside. Too many people."

Daryl chuckled, "I know what ya mean, kid."

"Why are you out here? You get tired of people too?"

"Nah, just came out here to fix my bike and think some."

"What are you thinking about?"

"You ask a lot of questions for someone your size," Daryl told him, eyeing the boy.

"I get that a lot," He replied, "What are you thinking about?"

Daryl huffed. He looked around to see if he could find someone else to pawn the kid off on, but there was no one else around. He decided he was going to go off on the idiot that allowed the boy to walk around outside in the first place.

Daryl was silent for a few minutes, trying to decide what to tell the boy.

"I'm thinking about a girl," Daryl told him quietly, feeling his cheeks burning. He couldn't believe he was talking to a kid about Carol.

"A girl?" The boy shouted, looking up at him with wide blue eyes.

"Hey, kid, shut ya mouth. You'll have 'em all out here wondernin' what's going on."

"Sorry," The boy whispered, "What's her name? Is she pretty?"

"Her name's Carol, and yes, she's pretty," Daryl whispered back, his voice gruff.

"Awesome," The boy said, "Is she your girlfriend?"

"No. She don't know I like her…yet."

"Well, if ya like her then ya gotta tell her," The boy said decisively. He got up off the ground and started tugging on Daryl's arm.

"What, kid?" Daryl barked at him as he got up off the ground.

"You gotta go tell your girlfriend that you like her."

Daryl rolled his eyes. This was not how he imagined his day going. Not at all.

"Hold up, kid," Daryl said, coming to a stop. The boy turned around and walked up to him, his arms crossed over his chest again.

"What's the problem?" The boy asked, looking annoyed.

"I ain't ready to tell her now. She might not like me back."

"But you gotta tell her," The boy told him, "She may not be around tomorrow. She could die like my parents did, and then she'd never know that you like her."

Daryl felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. He couldn't believe how smart this kid was for someone his age. If he'd had any doubts before, this kid has just squashed them all. He was right; if Carol died right now, she'd never know how he really felt. He had to tell her, even if she didn't feel the same way.

"Hey, kid, how old are you anyway?" Daryl asked as they headed toward the prison.

"Five and a half. How old are you?"

"Too old," Daryl replied, "What's your name?"

"Harley," The boy replied and Daryl couldn't help the smile on his face.

They walked in silence for a few seconds and Daryl's nerves started to get the better of him again. Just as he was thinking of backing out, Harley stuck his hand out toward Daryl. Daryl grabbed the boy's hand, and together they walked into the prison.


	7. Chapter 7

When Daryl and Harley got into the prison, everyone was headed to the cafeteria for lunch. Daryl took the boy to the bathroom so they could wash up. He found it funny how alike he and the boy were. They both dressed the same and they both had attitudes when it came to dealing with other people. Anytime a member of Woodbury would walk past them and say something to him, Harley would just grunt a reply and keep walking. Daryl wouldn't admit it, but the kid was already growing on him.

Daryl's good mood quickly dissipated as he walked into the cafeteria and realized Carol was already seated at their table, a plate already waiting for him. He hadn't even had time to figure out how he was going to tell her.

"See ya later, Daryl!" Harley yelled as he ran across the room to catch up with a group of kids waiting for food. Daryl made sure Harley got a plate and then walked over to his and Carol's table.

"Hey," Carol greeted him as he sat down and dug into his meal.

"Hey," He grunted, not looking at her.

They spent the rest of their meal in silence, except for the sound of their chewing. Daryl tapped his foot underneath the table, unsure of what to say to her. Carol seemed to be off in her own world. He knew he couldn't just come out and say it now. He needed to get her alone.

He was about to suggest that they go for a walk later that evening when Harley came running up to the table, sitting down next to Daryl and looking at Carol. Carol's eyes went wide at their surprise visitor. Daryl huffed, praying the kid wouldn't say anything about their earlier conversation.

"Well, who is this?" Carol asked, smiling at the boy.

"My name's Harley. Are you Carol?" Harley asked and Daryl dropped his head into his hands. Well, so much for getting her alone.

"Why, yes, it is," Carol said, her cheeks turning red. She looked at Daryl questioningly. He just shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Daryl really likes you. He said you were pretty," Daryl immediately covered his face with his hands again as Carol looked up at him questioningly. This was not how he'd wanted this to go, but it looked like he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Oh, really? Well, that's very sweet. What else did he say?" Carol was smiling now.

Harley, the little traitor, walked around the table to sit beside Carol, "He said he wanted to tell you that he likes you, but he wasn't sure if you would like him back. But I told him that he had to tell you."

Carol nodded before leaning over and whispering something into Harley's ear. The boy's face lit up and he ran around the table to sit beside Daryl. Carol got up without a word and left the cafeteria. Daryl began to panic.

"What did she say to ya?" Daryl asked the boy. Harley giggled.

"She said that she likes you very much and that she thinks you're cute, and um, also, to meet her outside by the garden later."

Daryl felt a large grin spread across his face, despite his efforts to stop it. He looked down at Harley, who seemed to be off in his own world. Who knew that a five year old would be the best way to tell a girl that you like her?

"Ya did real good, kid. Real good," Daryl praised, tousling the boy's hair and standing. Harley grinned up at him and followed him out of the cafeteria.


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl checked himself out in one of the grimy mirrors in the bathroom. He grimaced at his appearance. He looked like he hadn't showered in days, which he hadn't, and his hair was greasy and matted to his forehead. Sighing, he splashed water on his face to try and clean away some of the dirt. He gave up after ten minutes when he realized that the dirt wasn't actually coming off.

He knew that it was stupid to care so much about his appearance. Carol had been around since the beginning, and she'd seen him looking less than desirable on more than one occasion. Deep down, he knew that she didn't care about things like dirty skin and greasy hair, but now he was self-conscious.

Daryl heard the door to the bathrooms open and looked up to see Harley. The boy smiled up at him, strutting in like he owned the place.

"What's up, kid?" Daryl asked him.

"Nothin' much. Carol told me to tell you that she's outside now."

Daryl nodded, suddenly feeling nervous. Sweat broke out on his forehead and his hands started twitching. Daryl had no idea what would happen once he was out there alone with Carol. Carol might tell him that she wasn't really interested, that she'd just said those things at lunch for Harley's sake. He hoped that wasn't the case, but he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Well, what are you waitin' for? Hurry up!" Harley yelled, going behind Daryl to push his legs in the direction of the bathroom door.

"Hey! Watch it!" Daryl snapped at him, "I'm goin', I'm goin'."

"Good," Harley praised him, walking behind him in the hallway, "Because you don't wanna keep the lady waiting."

Daryl shook his head at the boy's words. He was pretty sure Harley knew more about women than Daryl did, and he wasn't too sure what that said about him.

Harley made a move to follow Daryl outside, but Daryl turned around swiftly, stopping the boy in his tracks.

"You wait in here. We'll be back in soon. Don't want ya runnin' off nowhere."

"Aw, come on, Daryl!" Harley whined, and Daryl regretted ever telling the boy his name, "I wanna go outside! I wanna see Carol!"

"Later," Daryl said, "Stay put."

With that, Daryl headed outside the prison, leaving a very pissed off Harley to pout inside.

Just like Harley had said earlier, Carol was waiting for him in the garden. When he found her, she had her arms crossed over her chest, her sweater pulled tight around her, and she was looking up at the evening sky. The sky was streaked with oranges and pinks, eventually fading into a deep blue. As he watched her, Daryl thought he'd never seen a prettier image in all his life.

Carol turned around then, sensing him behind her. She smiled at him, turning to face him.

"Hey," She said, her voice soft.

"Hey," Daryl replied, feeling his cheeks grow red.

Daryl was standing beside her now, and they both stood in silence for several long minutes before Carol finally spoke.

"Thanks for meeting me out here. I thought it would be good for us to talk without everyone around."

Carol began walking through a row of planted vegetables, and Daryl did the same, waiting for her to speak first.

"Daryl, I want you to know that I don't expect anything from you. I know how imaginative kids can be, and I realize that you probably didn't say those things, at least not in the way Harley meant them."

Daryl was quiet for a few minutes, absorbing what she said before he spoke, "When ya asked me 'bout that girl an' why I wouldn't date her, I said it was 'cause I just didn't like her. Truth was, I already had someone else I was interested in."

Carol stopped walking and turned to face him, her eyes wide.

"I like ya, Carol. I like ya a lot, but I'm damaged goods. I don't know how to be the man that you need me to be. I don't wanna be like…" Daryl couldn't finish the sentence. He was going to say that he didn't want to be just like her ex-husband, Ed. Daryl came from a violent background, and he knew he had a lot of unresolved anger inside of him, especially since Merle's death. He didn't want to hurt her in any way.

Daryl continued, "I wasn't gonna tell ya. I don't know nothing' 'bout dating or anything like that. It's just…I'm tired of bein' alone and shuttin' people out. You talked about new beginnings an' it's time I made one for myself."

Carol wanted to cry, but somehow she managed to keep her tears in check as she looked at the shy man standing before her. She'd never heard him bare his soul like that before. This time he was letting her in completely and trusting that she wouldn't do anything to compromise that trust.

Carol stepped up to him and lifted his chin so she could see his face. She could tell tears were forming in his eyes and he was shaking like a leaf, but she just smiled and kissed him once on the lips.

"Thank you for sharing all that with me, Daryl. It means a lot that you would trust me enough to do that. I'm with you, Daryl. I'm damaged goods too, and I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm willing to try this if you are. You could never be like Ed. You're a better man than that. You always have been. I say it's time we make a new beginning together."

Carol grabbed on to the front of his shirt and pulled him close, kissing him with everything she had. Daryl was stiff at first, but eventually he began kissing her back. He had no idea what he was doing, but Carol wasn't pulling away, so he went with it.

They stayed that way for a long time, kissing and holding each other. When it was finally getting too dark to see, they disengaged from each other and headed back towards the prison. Daryl surprised himself by holding out his hand for her to take, and he realized it had been worth it when she smiled up at him and grabbed his hand tightly.

When they got closer to the prison door, Daryl realized that the door was cracked, and he and Carol both laughed at Harley, who was peeking through the door, grinning from ear to ear.


	9. Chapter 9

They hadn't kissed since that first time out in the garden. In fact, they'd rarely touched at all. Daryl knew that being in a relationship would be hard for him, but he had no idea just how hard. He found himself completely shy and insecure whenever he was around Carol, making it hard for him to connect.

Carol was good about giving him his space and taking things slowly, but Daryl felt shitty about it. He knew that she deserved better than someone who was too afraid to touch her, but he'd warned her that this would happen.

He thought about these things as he patrolled the prison grounds, keeping out a watchful eye for any signs of approaching danger. He heard a rustling noise behind him and looked to see Harley running after him, breathing heavy. Daryl stopped his fast stride and let the boy catch up.

Harley doubled over, trying to catch his breath. Daryl laughed as he watched him.

"Walkin' too fast for ya, kid?"

"Nope, not at all," Harley wheezed, walking forward. Daryl followed behind him.

"What are ya doin'? You're suppose to be inside, doin' kid shit."

Harley shook his head, "Nah, I wanted to come hang out with you. What are you doing, anyway?"

"Patrolling."

"What's that mean?"

"It means I'm supposed to walk around and make sure ain't nothing dangerous around."

"Like what? The monsters?"

Daryl looked down at Harley, "Yeah, the monsters."

"Oh," Harley replied, "Well, it seems like a pretty boring job."

"Nah. I like the quiet."

They walked in silence for several seconds before Harley spoke up, "Daryl, is Carol your girlfriend now? Since she kissed you?"

Daryl blushed. Was girlfriend really the right word for it? It seemed so…childish. Truth be told, he didn't really know what they were.

"I don't know, kid. I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Why ya gotta ask so many damn questions?" Daryl snapped. He didn't mean to, but talking about Carol made him cranky.

"Why you gotta be so dumb?" Daryl's eyes bugged out of his head, and he stopped walking. He'd never had a five year old call him dumb before. Harley stopped walking and looked up at Daryl, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't look sorry for the comment at all.

"What did ya say to me?" Daryl asked, squinting at him.

"I called you dumb. If a girl kisses you, then she's your girlfriend. Duh. I'm five, and even I know that."

What the hell? Daryl couldn't believe this kid sometimes. He didn't seem like a kid at all, and he certainly didn't seem like he was only five years old.

"Fine, yes, she's my girlfriend. Does that make ya happy?"

"Yes, it does, actually," Someone said from behind him, and both of them turned around to see Carol standing there, two glasses of water in her hands.

Later that night, Daryl returned to his cell to find Carol in her bed with Harley, reading the boy a story. Daryl smiled as he stood in the doorway watching them. They both looked so peaceful sitting there; Harley was almost asleep, as it was.

After a few minutes, Carol closed the book and Harley's eyes popped open.

"Is the story over?" He asked sleepily, and Carol helped him to his feet.

"Yes. It's time for bed, okay? We can read more tomorrow."

"Okay. Good night, Carol," He said, giving her a hug. Carol embraced the boy, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Good night, Harley. Have sweet dreams."

Daryl stepped aside to let Harley out of the cell, but instead of walking out, the boy reached his arms up toward him, staring at him expectantly. Daryl stared at the boy, unsure of what he wanted.

"He wants you to pick him up," Carol said, smiling at him.

Daryl hesitated for only a second before picking the boy up in his arms. Harley wrapped his entire body around Daryl's, laying his head on his shoulder. Daryl was stiff as he held the boy in his arms. Holding Harley was very different from holding Judith.

After several seconds, the boy squirmed out of his grasp, and Daryl sat him down on the ground.

"Good night, Daryl," Harley said, giving a wave and walking back to his cell block.

"Night," Daryl called after him, watching him from the doorway until he was out of sight.

Daryl turned back to Carol, who was standing now. She smiled at him.

"You're really good with him, you know?"

Daryl shook his head, "Nah, I'm better with babies."

"You'll get used to it," Carol assured him.

They were quiet for several seconds.

"Am I really your girlfriend?" Carol asked him suddenly. After she'd overheard their conversation outside, Carol had given them the glasses and returned back to the kitchen, needing to get things ready for dinner.

"Um, I don't know, I mean I guess…" Daryl rambled on. He wasn't sure how to respond.

"Because I would like that very much, you know," Carol told him, smiling coyly and stepping closer to him. Daryl stopped breathing.

"Really? Well, then I guess you're my girlfriend," He replied, trying to be funny. He leaned in to kiss her, but he was too aggressive and his head slammed into hers, making her yelp out in pain.

"Shit, I'm sorry. Are ya alright?" Daryl asked, checking out her forehead.

"I'm fine," Carol replied, smiling up at him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I think I'll like calling you my boyfriend," Carol said as she got into bed, "It sounds very old world. I like it."

Daryl smiled all night long as he tried to fall asleep, more than a little excited to be someone's boyfriend.


	10. Chapter 10

Day by day, Daryl was slowly starting to open up to Carol. They shared everything together, often sitting up and talking late into the nights about their pasts and their dreams. Daryl learned that Carol was an avid reader that had often used books as a way to escape from her real life with her abusive husband. Carol, in turn, had learned that Daryl had often drawn and painted as a child to cope with the abuse he lived with.

Daryl never thought that he would find someone as damaged as him. His heart ached whenever Carol talked about Ed and the things he'd put her through. He'd known he was a bad man, but he could never imagine someone hurting Carol in the ways that Ed had.

Carol was always disgusted whenever Daryl talked about his childhood, which wasn't often. His family had put him through terrible things, and she wished she could take all the bad memories away from him and replace them with happy ones.

The men were going to be going on a run soon for supplies, and Carol secretly slipped a note to Glenn, asking him to pick up a set of paints, paintbrushes, and canvas if he could find them.

As the men wandered through a small town a few miles from the prison, Daryl noticed a small bookstore and ran inside, grabbing a bag and throwing as many books inside it as he could fit. He didn't bother to look at titles or covers. Instead, he hoped that she would like whatever he brought back and high-tailed it out of there as fast as he could before the others noticed he was gone.

Later that evening, Daryl entered their cell to find Carol putting fresh sheets on her bed. She looked up at him and smiled as he walked in.

"Hey. How was the run?"

"Fine. What'd ya do all day?"

"Laundry, mostly. I know, exciting," She said with a laugh.

"Got something for ya," Daryl said. Carol stopped what she was doing to turn and look at him. He held out the bags of books that he'd had behind his back and watched her face light up as she dumped them on her bed to look through them.

"Daryl, this is…I can't believe…" She stuttered, touching the books gently. When she looked up at him, he saw tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"It was nothing," He said, shyly. She stepped forward and wrapped him in a hug, kissing him once on the lips.

"Thank you, Daryl. This really means a lot."

She returned to the bed and sat down to look through her books. Daryl slipped off his gear and laid it all in the corner of the room.

He jumped when he heard Carol yelp and stand up abruptly.

"What the hell's the matter with ya, woman?" He asked her as she began lifting her mattress as if looking for something. Daryl watched her with suspicious eyes.

"I got something for you too. I almost forgot. I sent Glenn on a mission to get them."

Daryl watched as she presented him with several blank canvases, a set of paintbrushes, and a set of paints. There was also a sketchbook and a set of pencils. Daryl felt his eyes begin to water and his throat close. Never in his life had someone ever been so thoughtful. He had no idea what to say to her.

"Well, do you like them?" She asked, looking at him expectantly.

"Yeah," He replied, his voice thick with emotion, "Thanks, Carol."

He thought about kissing her, but his thoughts were interrupted by someone screaming his name. It was Rick.

"Daryl! I need you outside, now!"

"What's going on?" Carol asked as Daryl sat down the art supplies and grabbed his bow. She followed him as he ran out of the cell and outside the prison.

"Hell if I know," Daryl replied.

They found Rick and a few others all the way across the prison yard, standing near the fence. Daryl looked around, trying to find the source of the threat but finding nothing.

"What's the problem?" Daryl asked, looking directly at Rick.

The crowd parted so Daryl could get through.

"This," Rick said, pointing to something just outside the fence.

As Daryl got closer, he realized it was a black eye patch, laid out by the fence intentionally for someone to find. Underneath it was a piece of paper and Daryl could make out the word SOON written in what looked like blood.


	11. Chapter 11

Daryl watched Rick as he paced back and forth along the fence, running his hands through his hair over and over. Just when things were returning to normal, the Governor had to come back into their lives and shake everything up. Daryl realized they'd been foolish to believe that he was gone for good. He'd known men like that and with that level of crazy running through his brain, it was only a matter of time before the man snapped.

After nearly thirty minutes of watching Rick in uncomfortable silence, Daryl finally stepped up to his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"Rick, we don't know nothing yet. We need to get inside and figure something out. Ain't safe out here."

Rick nodded and followed Daryl inside, along with the rest of the group that had been with them. Daryl instructed the others to leave them alone while he got Rick calmed down. Carol left with the group, although she didn't have to, stating that she would be around if they needed her.

Daryl led Rick to his cell and instructed to sit down on his bed. Daryl stood in the doorway, watching as Rick composed himself.

"I was an idiot," Rick murmured, running a hand over his face, "I was so stupid to think that he would just let this go. He'll never let this go, he'll just keep comin' for us until none of us are left."

"That's why we gotta fight back, no matter what he throws at us. Bastard has one eye, for Christ's sake. Somebody shoulda done taken his ass out by now. I'll do it myself if I gotta."

Rick nodded, "You're right. If he wants a war, then he's got one. It's time for this shit to end."

Later that evening, Rick addressed the group as a whole, telling them of their discovery and what it could mean. Daryl wasn't surprised to see most of the crowd cowering in fear and crying their heads off. In Woodbury, the soldiers did all the work, while the townspeople sat on their asses sippin' lemonade. He knew most of them didn't have a clue how to fight and were probably scared for their own lives.

After Rick's speech, everyone retired to bed with the promise that a plan of action would be formulated in the morning. Daryl returned to his cell to see Carol reading one of the books that he'd brought her. He smiled slightly, happy that he'd been able to give her the books.

"Hey," She said tiredly, closing her book and getting up off the bed.

"Hey," He replied, "What do ya think 'bout all this?"

"I think we fight back, just like we always have," She replied immediately. He could hear the sincerity in her voice.

Daryl nodded, "Shit ain't gonna be easy. He's one crafty sonofabitch. Gotta be careful."

"Yeah, I know," She said, stepping closer to him. She hesitated just a second before wrapping her arms around his waist and giving him a kiss.

Daryl went stiff with nervousness, as he usually did when they kissed, for just a second before slowly loosening up. They kissed for a long time before Carol finally broke their contact.

"Sorry," She said as she yawned, "This woman needs her sleep."

"Yeah, me too," Daryl said gruffly, his face turning red.

Daryl turned to hop up on the top bunk, but Carol stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Why don't you sleep down here tonight? It'll be a tight fit, but I'd feel safer if you were sleeping next to me."

Daryl's face went red and he looked at her curiously. He never would have thought that she'd want to share her bed with him.

"Sure," Daryl said softly, letting her get into bed first so that she would be between him and the wall in case anything happened.

Daryl laid on his side awkwardly, unsure of what he should be doing. Carol was lying on her side too, facing the wall, away from him.

"It's okay to put your arms around me, if you want. I don't bite."

Daryl laughed, "Smartass."

He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, loving the feel of her body against his as she snuggled up next to him. He fell asleep almost instantly, the ghost of a smile on his face.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, everyone gathered into the main cell block to discuss the plan of action against the Governor. Rick hopped up on a table so that everyone could see him. Daryl stood against the wall over Rick's right, with Carol and Harley by his side.

"Okay, this is what we know: the Governor skipped out of town three months ago after he attacked the prison. He killed off most of his army. Probably only left his most trusted men alive. It doesn't sound like he'd be that much of an issue, but he has nothing left to lose now, and he wants revenge. That means we all need to be on the alert."

The crowd mumbled words of agreement and nodded their heads.

"I want everyone to learn how to use a weapon. I don't care what kind, but we all need to be armed, just in case. We'll start lessons this afternoon."

So it was decided. They were going to wait on the Governor to make another move, and in the meantime, they would be preparing for his arrival. After the initial first meeting, Rick pulled Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, Beth, Carol, Carl, and Tyreese aside to inform them that they would be training the people of Woodbury on how to use weapons. Daryl cringed on the inside. He was willing to help, but anxiety at having to talk to someone was getting the better of him.

"So, are you ready to go play teacher?" Carol asked him when Rick had dismissed them. She bumped into his shoulder playfully as they headed back to their cell.

"Hell no," Daryl replied, "Hate tryin' to explain something to somebody that ain't got a clue about nothing."

"I feel bad for the poor bastard that gets stuck with you," She replied, smirking up at him. He smirked back and bumped her shoulder with his.

"Least I know how to shoot a gun."

"Hey!" Carol cried out, trying to look offended, "I'll have you know I'm an excellent shot. I learned from the best after all."

He smiled, "Yeah, ya did."

"Yeah," She continued, sighing, "Maggie was a wonderful teacher. She taught me-"

"Hey!" Daryl yelled in mock outrage, and they both began to laugh.

As mid-afternoon approached, Daryl became more and more agitated. He was ready to get this shit done and over with. He was the first one outside, and he took it upon himself to set up some old food cans along a table for target practice.

Slowly, the entire group began heading outside. Daryl nodded his head at Carol as she walked out, rifle in her hand. His mood quickly turned dark, though, as he saw who she was partnered up with. The guy was big and blonde, and he was obviously flirting with Carol, making her laugh and touching her arm.

Daryl watched them as Carol began teaching the man how to shoot, touching his body to angle him in the right position. He was so preoccupied with watching them, that he didn't notice the person coming up behind him.

Daryl jumped and raised his crossbow when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder. He turned to see a tall, lanky boy standing behind him, looking as if he was about to piss his pants. Daryl sighed and lowered his bow.

"Didn't anyone ever teach ya not to sneak up on people?" Daryl huffed, setting his crossbow down to grab two rifles. He handed one over to the boy, who looked like he'd never seen one before.

"Sorry. Um, are you, um, Daryl?" The boy said, shaking.

"Good Lord," Daryl sighed.

The next hour and a half was one of the most painful of Daryl's life, and that was really saying something. The boy didn't know anything about using a gun, so Daryl had to spend his entire time talking and touching, two things he really hated doing. He would have to angle the kid's body, which would drive him crazy.

To make matters worse, every time he looked over at Carol, that big, blonde bastard was either touching her or making her laugh at some dumb thing he said. What kind of man didn't already know how to shoot a gun? Daryl huffed, guessing that the man had been some sort of rich asshole back before the world ended that could probably have hired armed guards instead of learning how to use a gun.

As soon as lessons were over, Daryl grabbed his bow and stalked back inside, not bothering to wait for Carol. He headed straight for his cell and nearly yelled out in frustration when he found Harley sitting on the top bunk, flipping through one of Carol's books, presumably trying to find the pictures.

"Hey, Daryl," He said as Daryl threw his gear down in the corner of the room.

"Not now, kid. Why don't you run along and find someone else to annoy?"

Harley wasn't phased by Daryl's bad temper, "Nah. You're much more fun to annoy."

Daryl rolled his eyes. The kid was just like him, stubborn and annoying. There was no way he was getting rid of him.

Just as he was about to leave the cell, Carol came walking in, a smile on her face.

"Hey, guys," She said by way of greeting.

"Hey, Carol," Harley said, waving down at her. Daryl huffed.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" Carol asked him, sitting down on her bed.

"Who's the Viking?" Daryl asked, jealousy thick in his voice.

"What?" She asked him, looking confused.

"The guy you were trainin'."

"Oh," She said, smiling, "That was Sam."

"Sam, huh? He musta been a comedian 'fore the world went to shit. You was laughin' an awful lot at whatever he was sayin'."

Carol studied him curiously, and Daryl wished he'd kept his mouth shut.

"Why, Daryl Dixon, is that jealousy I detect in your voice?"

Daryl blinked at her teasing him.

"Course I ain't jealous. Just don't understand why ya so friendly with him."

"It's called being nice, Daryl. Settle down. I can switch partners with someone, if you'd prefer."

"Yeah, ya best get on that," He muttered, no real heat in his voice. He realized he was acting like a caveman, but he'd never experienced jealousy before.

"You tell her!" Harley yelled from the top bunk, and Daryl looked up at him with a glare.

"Ain't it your bedtime?"

"Nope," Harley replied. Carol began to laugh.

"Harley, sweetie, why don't you go to your room and get cleaned up for bed. When you come back, I'll read to you some more, okay?"

"Okay, Carol," He said, setting down the book he'd been flipping through and climbing off the top bunk. Daryl stared after him as he ran out of the room.

"How'd ya do that?" Daryl asked her as Carol stood up.

"I know kids," She replied, wrapping her arms around his waist, "He'll be back as quickly as he left."

They didn't waste any time. Carol stretched up to kiss him, and Daryl kissed her back eagerly, feeling bold. He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.

Carol broke their kiss, laughing at the confused expression on his face.

"No harm, big guy. I just have a question."

Daryl sighed.

"Were you really jealous of Sam?"

Daryl put his head down, ashamed. He was waiting for her to scold him for how childish he'd been.

"You have nothing to worry about, you know. There could never be anyone else for me."

Daryl stared at her; a feeling he didn't recognize grasped at his heart, making it hard to breathe.

"I just…I don't know…he made me so mad with the way he was touchin' all over ya and stuff," Daryl said, his voice sounding gruff.

"I don't think he meant anything by it. It wouldn't matter anyway. We could always switch. I'll take the boy and you can have the Viking all to yourself."

Daryl liked that idea. It would give him someone to yell at, and he could show off to Carol that he was clearly the better man.

"Kinda like that idea," He said, smiling down at her.

"Then it's settled. No more jealousy."

"Nope."

"Although, I kinda liked you acting all jealous over little ol' me."

Daryl felt his eyes bug out of their sockets, "Ya did?"

"Yeah, I did," She replied. Daryl kissed her then, suddenly understanding the feeling deep inside his chest.


	13. Chapter 13

It had been nearly two weeks since the Governor left his threat. No one doubted for a second that he would make good on his threat, but no one was worrying about it as much anymore. The people of Woodbury were still taking lessons, and everyone would be ready whenever the Governor came.

Daryl hoisted his crossbow up higher on his shoulder as he straddled his bike. The group was becoming dangerously low on some supplies, so Rick had finally decided that the group needed to go on a run. Rick hadn't been happy about it, but they needed the supplies and the people of Woodbury were more than capable of keeping watch over the prison.

It was decided that Rick, Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, Carol, and Carl would be going on the run, along with a few other members of Woodbury. Tyreese would be left in charge of things back at the prison.

Daryl watched as Carol exited the prison, Harley right behind her. The boy looked like he was pleading with her about something. As they got closer, Daryl could hear that the boy was begging to come along with them on the run.

"Please, Carol! I can help! Please, please, please!"

"Harley, I've already told you that you can't go, sweetie. It's not safe, and besides, there's no room for you on the bike."

"Well, how come Carl gets to go?" Harley asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring. Daryl had to stop himself from laughing.

"Cause he can, kid. Now go on back inside 'fore I gotta beat ya ass," Daryl instructed him as Carol settled herself on the back of his bike.

Harley huffed and stormed off in the direction of the prison, "Sonofabitch!"

Everyone turned to stare after Harley. Carol gasped at the boy's cussing. Daryl only laughed. The boy was learning.

"Did you teach him that?" Carol asked, and Daryl could feel her glaring behind him.

"Course not. Musta picked it up from someone else."

Carol laughed and rolled her eyes. Daryl started up the bike and they drove out of the prison first; Rick had told him to ride a little ways ahead to see if he could find any signs of the Governor. They didn't find any as they pulled into the town square and waited for the others.

A few minutes later, the rest of the convoy showed up. Rick separated everyone into pairs, instructing everyone to be as quick as possible. If something happened, they were to try and get back to the prison to tell the others as soon as possible.

Daryl and Carol were in charge of getting toiletries for the group, things like shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste. Daryl hadn't been happy about that. The last thing he wanted to do was spend his entire morning looking for soap. Carol, on the other hand, seemed content with finding everything that was on the list, so Daryl decided to do guard duty while she filled the bags.

Daryl was walking behind Carol, watching her as she threw things into the bags she was carrying. His eyes widened when she stopped at the family planning section and grabbed several boxes of condoms. His heart began to beat a little faster, but he quickly realized that there must be a ton of people getting it on back at the prison, and condoms were probably on the list. He exhaled a sigh of relief.

Daryl turned around abruptly, crossbow at the ready, when he heard a shuffling noise. The little store they were in had half shelves instead of the bigger ones found in supermarkets, so Daryl would know if someone, or something, else was wandering around in there. Instead, he saw nothing.

"It was probably an animal, Daryl. There's no one else in here."

Daryl nodded. It was probably an animal. He turned to continue following Carol when he heard the noise again, this time louder.

"Ain't no damn animal," He said, raising his crossbow. He thought the noise was coming from behind the one check-out counter. He approached it quietly. He waited a few seconds before turning the corner to see whatever horror was behind the counter.

"What the hell?" Daryl barked out. Harley sat behind the counter, looking like he was about to piss his pants out of terror.

"Daryl, what is it?" Carol said, rushing over.

"Looks like we got some extra baggage," Daryl said, picking the boy up and settling him on his hip.

"Harley! How did you get here? We told you to stay at the prison!"

Harley looked like he was about to cry, "I just wanted to come along with you guys."

Carol's heart softened. She wanted to be mad at him, but she knew that she couldn't. She took the boy from Daryl.

"Harley, you have to promise me that you'll never do that again. You can't always follow us. It's very dangerous. You can't do this again, do you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harley said, hanging his head and crying.

Daryl went to get the rest of the stuff on the list as Carol rocked the boy, trying to calm him. Daryl was pissed at the boy for being so careless, but he knew that he wouldn't yell at him. He understood why Harley did what he did. He understood not wanting to be alone.

"Daryl, could you come out and help some of the men with loading up? If you're done in here?" Rick asked, popping his head into the store. He looked at Daryl questioningly when he saw Harley in Carol's arms.

Daryl nodded and went to meet Rick, "Guess the boy snuck into one of the cars. We'll handle it."

"Yeah, might want to get a handle on that soon. Won't be good if he makes that a habit."

Daryl nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Daryl, Harley and I are going to get some toys for the other kids. We'll be out in a minute."

"Alright," Daryl replied, "Ya got ya gun?"

"Yes," She said, smiling.

When Rick and Daryl left, Carol and Harley went to the back of the store, which had a couple aisles of cheap toys and started filling up a couple of grocery sacks with them. Carol smiled down at Harley, watching him as he got distracted with each toy, playing with it for just a second before finally deciding that it was worthy of being thrown in the sack.

Three explosions suddenly rang out, causing Carol to hop on top of Harley to shield him, the toys forgotten. Several more went off, and Carol trembled in fear. Harley had begun to scream underneath her, and she tried her best to soothe him. She expected the place to come tumbling down on them, but surprisingly it didn't.

After several minutes of silence, Carol got up to assess the damage. She picked up a trembling Harley and put him on her hip. She gasped as she looked around. Everything was still in tact, minus a few things that had fallen off the shelves, but what really scared her was what was going on outside.

The whole front of the store, which had floor to ceiling glass windows, was completely dark and smoky outside, so much so that it looked like nighttime outside in the middle of the day. As Carol approached the front, she realize she couldn't see five feet in front of her outside of the glass.

She looked around in a panic, trying to see if she could find any sign of the others outside, but she couldn't see anything. It must have been the Governor, she thought to herself. He must have found them. She suspected that all the smoke had been from some type of smoke bombs.

Carol had no idea what to do. She had no idea how she was going to find any of the others in this mess.

She continued to look for any signs of movement outside when something caught her eye. It looked like someone's leg moving around in the fog. Carol immediately started banging on the glass and yelling, hoping whoever it was wasn't with the Governor.

Carol screamed when a walker slammed up against the glass, its mouth open, ready to kill her. She could hear Harley screaming beside her. She clutched the boy tighter to her, watching the walker as it tried to get in. Backing away, she realized more of them were coming, bumping their decayed bodies against the glass.

She realized with horror that the Governor was no longer the only threat out there.

**Author's Note: I would just like to apologize** **for taking so long to post this chapter. I've been dealing with finals at school and a little bit of writer's block, but I'm done with school so I should be posting more now! Thank you to everyone that has been reading and reviewing! Please keep it up! And I would like to give a special thanks to Axelrocks for helping with the writer's block! Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

Daryl had been outside helping load stuff into the vehicles when the explosions had started. He'd been surprised when he hadn't blown into a million pieces. As a thick smoke began to cloud the town square, Daryl ran into the nearest building, a few of the other men following behind him. Daryl watched in disbelief; he could no longer see outside due to all the smoke. He had no idea where any of the others were or what was going on.

His thoughts turned to Carol, and his heart began to race. She was in that store all by herself, with Harley. He hoped that she would be okay until the smoke dissipated. Daryl felt the rage building inside him. He knew those smoke bombs had been planted by the Governor, which meant he was near. A vision of Merle flashed through his mind, one of his brother staring at him with dead eyes with blood dripping down his mouth. His anger intensified.

"What do we do?" Someone asked from behind him. Daryl turned to look at the man; he was one of the Woodbury men. He thought his name might be Louis, but he wasn't sure.

"We wait," Daryl said, peering through the glass store front. Nope, he couldn't see a damn thing. Something caught his eye and he watched as a dozen walkers pushed their way up to the glass, clawing at it and trying to get through to him. Daryl's heart stopped. They were gonna have to deal with walkers on top of the Governor and the fog?

All he could think about was Carol and Harley. He needed to be with them, needed to make sure they were safe.

He knew that the store was only a few buildings down from the one he was in now. He would try going around the back way, hoping that the walkers hadn't made their way around yet. He realized it was a stupid idea, and he was probably going to get himself killed, but all he could think about was her and the kid. He had to get to them.

Daryl headed to the back of the shop, looking for a back door. The other men followed him, wondering what he was doing.

"Stay here," He instructed them before slipping out the back and into the gray.

There was smoke everywhere; he could hardly see his hand stretched out in front of him.

He kept one hand on the brick building, walking as close to it as possible. He estimated that he would come across three doors before finally reaching the one leading him to Carol and Harley.

When he felt the first door, he sighed in relief. Just two more to go. He heard groaning noises coming from somewhere in the distance, but he tried to ignore them. He prayed that nothing would come sneaking up behind him, because he didn't think he would have the capability to take it down in this mess before it got to him.

He kept walking, slow and steady, until he came across the second door. His confidence built; he was only one door away from her.

The groaning sounds were closer now, and Daryl stopped, listening intently. His heart was beating so loud, he was sure that the walkers would be able to hear it. After several seconds of nothing, he started forward again, feeling for another door. He found it soon after the second and wanted to jump for joy. The next door he found would lead him to her.

He stopped again when the groans got louder. He heard a shuffling sound in front of him and knew it was only a matter of time before a walker found him. Sure enough, one came stumbling at him through the fog, its arms outstretched, and he only had a second to plunge his knife in its forehead. If he'd been a second later, he would have been bitten.

He killed another walker that had been behind the first one and started running, his other hand still on the wall. When brick gave way to smooth wood, he knew he'd found the next door, and he felt around for the doorknob. That turned out to be a bigger challenge than he'd anticipated.

He felt around blindly, cursing after a few seconds when he found nothing. The groans were getting louder, and he looked behind him in fear. He could make out bits and pieces of walkers through the fog, shuffling closer.

"Shit," He huffed, still looking for the knob. He almost cried out when he found it. He turned it, suddenly realizing that there was no guarantee it would actually unlock, but it did, and he slipped through the door right as a walker grabbed him from behind, tearing his shirt.

He leaned against the closed door, breathing heavily. If that door had been locked…he shrugged off the thought, not wanting to think about what would have happened. He looked around him, realizing that he was in the right place. Just beyond this room were Carol and Harley. He hoped they were both safe.

He made his way to the other side of the tiny storage room and opened the door. It took him a second to realize what was going on. The Governor and Martinez stood in the front of the store, confronting a very scared-looking Carol and a crying Harley. The Governor had both his hands raised, as if trying to tell Carol that she was in no danger. Carol had her gun aimed at him, her entire body shaking.

Daryl didn't waste any time. This shit was gonna end right here, right now. He raised his crossbow quietly, shooting Martinez directly in the back of the head. The man dropped instantly.

Carol surprised him by shooting the Governor in the leg. He raced over to them, coming to stand beside her. He took pleasure in watching the Governor fall to the ground in agony, his hand covering the bullet hole in his leg.

"You stupid bitch!" He screamed at Carol. Daryl smirked.

"How come ya didn't shoot him in tha forehead?" He asked her. Carol lowered her gun.

"He doesn't deserve to die quickly and painlessly. He deserves to suffer for what he's done."

Daryl looked over at Carol, surprised by her sudden fierceness. She was constantly surprising him.

He nodded, "I got an idea. Go find me some duct tape."

Carol rushed off, still holding Harley, to go find duct tape. Daryl knelt down so he was face to face with the Governor. He punched him in the face, causing the man to howl out in pain.

"You killed my brother. Turned him into a walker. You ain't no man. Ain't no Governor. It's over. And now ya gonna die in the middle of a store."

The Governor raised up and threw a punch at Daryl, but Daryl was faster, knocking the man back on his ass. He moved the Governor's hands away from his bullet wound to bury his own fingers inside of it. The Governor screamed, cursing and flailing around.

At that moment, Carol returned with a roll of hot pink duct tape, and for some reason, Daryl wanted to laugh. He made quick work of tying the man's hands and feet together. Carol added the finishing touch by putting a strip over his mouth.

"What are we going to do with him now?" She asked, rocking Harley, who'd either fallen asleep or passed out from fear.

"I say we feed him to the walkers. Let 'em tear him apart."

The Governor's eyes widened in fear, and he began shaking his head back and forth furiously. Daryl picked him up by his shoulders and dragged him through the store until he got to the storage room. Carol went in first so she could open the back door. Daryl stared down at the Governor one last time, knowing that Merle would be proud of the way he was handling things. He undid the tape over his mouth and legs, keeping his hands tied. The Governor began to scream and kick out his legs, but he was no match for Daryl.

Daryl picked him up by his shoulders and turned him around so he was facing the door.

"This is for my brother and everyone else that's died at your hands, asshole. This is what ya get for messin' with a Dixon."

Carol opened the door to the storage room, and Daryl quickly threw the Governor outside to about ten waiting walkers. They pounced on him instantly, and Daryl and Carol watched in silence as they began to rip him apart. Daryl wished Merle could be here to see everything that was happening.

They watched until there was nothing left of the Governor, not even his bones. When he was gone, Daryl shut and locked the door back. They returned to the main store area and were relieved to find that the smoke was dissipating.

There were a few walkers roaming around, but none that they couldn't handle. Daryl could see Rick and some of the others gathering around outside. It looked like everyone had made it in one piece.

Daryl flinched when he felt an arm snake around his waist. Carol looked up at him, a tired smile on her face.

"Thank you for coming, Daryl. I don't know what I would've done…they came out of nowhere."

He just nodded his head, looking at her intently. He placed his arm around her shoulders, knowing that now was the time to say the words he'd been thinking for so long, but had been too afraid to say.

"I love ya, Carol," He whispered softly, watching as her eyes went wide in surprise, "Just thought ya should know."

He removed his arm, walking to head outside to greet the others. He didn't deal with emotion well, and he'd had enough emotions running through him for one day.

Carol stopped him with a hand on his arm, "I love you too, Daryl."

He smirked at her and grabbed her free hand, holding it in his, "Let's go home, woman."

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I just wanted to say thanks for all the sweet reviews for the last chapter! I'm sorry I left it on a cliffhanger, but I didn't want the chapter to be too long. Hopefully this was the ending that everyone was waiting for. I'm so happy to be rid of the Governor! Please read and review! If anyone has any suggestions for something they'd like to see happen later on, I would be interested in reading them! Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

Daryl woke up the next morning in pain. He slipped out of bed quietly, trying his best not to wake Carol. He placed a hand on the small of his back, where the pain was coming from. This was the first time he'd experienced pain like this, but he assumed it was from sleeping in a weird position all night.

He squinted as he exited the prison and headed out into the morning light. Rick was walking around in slow circles around the yard, keeping his eyes out for any possible threats. Daryl steeled his face, hoping to conceal the pain he was in.

"Hey," Rick said by way of greeting as Daryl approached. He could tell by the expression on his face that Daryl wasn't feeling well.

Daryl just nodded at him, "I got it from here."

"You alright?" Rick asked him, noticing how Daryl was massaging the lower part of his back with one hand.

"Slept wrong is all. Back is killin' me," He gruffed.

"Mind if I take a look? Make sure it's not anything serious?"

Daryl rolled his eyes and huffed, "Ain't letting you take a peep at my backside. Just aches is all."

"Alright," Rick said, passing by him and heading toward the prison. Daryl sighed as he tried to relax his mind. He hoped like hell that an ache was all it was, nothing more.

He thought back to everything that had happened yesterday with the Governor. When he'd been trying to get into the store with Carol and Harley, a walker had gotten too close, grabbing his shirt and tearing it. At the time, he hadn't thought much about it. He didn't think the walker had scratched him; he figured he would have felt something like that, but there was the possibility that it had.

Sweat began to break out on his brow, despite the coolness of the morning. When all this shit had started all those months ago, he probably wouldn't have cared less about dying. Now, though, he had responsibilities and obligations. He had _her_. He was starting to realize that he didn't want to die. He wanted to live, to fight another day.

His hours on watch passed by quickly; the pain had stayed the same, never intensifying or dulling. He spent the rest of the evening in his cell, trying to keep himself distracted. He even started drawing, hoping to keep his mind off the pain.

Eventually Carol came into their room, a smile spreading across her face when she saw him drawing. His cheeks turned red, and he put the sketchpad away immediately.

"Hey," Carol said, sitting down on the bed beside him, "May I see what you were drawing?"

"Ain't finished yet. Maybe tomorrow," Daryl replied, the lie coming off his tongue easily. He hated that he'd denied her that, but he'd only scribbled on the pages; he hadn't actually drawn anything worth showing off.

"Oh. Okay. Well, are you ready for bed?"

"Yeah. I think I'm gonna sleep up on the top bunk tonight."

Carol's eyes widened, but she quickly fixed her face to one of indifference, "Okay. Is there something wrong?"

Daryl quickly took her hands in his, "Nah, just ain't been feelin' good. Gonna sleep up there tonight."

"Okay, well, don't make it a habit. Good night, Daryl," Carol kissed him once on the lips before getting into her own bed.

He felt like an asshole, but he didn't want to risk being so close to her in case he had some type of infection. His back continued to throb and he wasn't surprised that he didn't get any sleep.

Three days later, Daryl realized he couldn't keep hiding this anymore. The pain in his back was getting worse, and now he could feel a hard knob on his back, like a bug bite. When he woke up, he got out of the top bunk as quietly as possible and walked down the hall to Hershel's cell.

"Hershel," Daryl whispered into the cell. Both Hershel and Beth woke instantly.

"What is it, Daryl?" Hershel asked, sitting up in his bed.

"Got some kind of bump on my back, hurts like a bitch. Can ya take a look at it?"

"Of course. Beth, get me the flashlight and one of the first aid kits."

Beth got down off the top bunk and rushed to get supplies for Hershel. Daryl sat down on Hershel's bed, his back to the man, and raised his shirt up just far enough for Hershel to see.

"Hmmm. What happened?" Hershel asked.

"Got my shirt torn by a walker when we were in town. Didn't think nothing of it until my back started hurting. What is it? I can handle it."

"How long have you had this? Three days?"

"Yeah. You know what it is?"

Hershel sighed, "Well, I would be worried that you were infected, but I think you would have turned by now. Looks like a staph infection to me, maybe a bug bite. Gotta get you on antibiotics immediately."

Daryl huffed, "So it ain't no infection? I ain't gonna turn?"

"What's going on?" Rick asked, walking into the room. Maggie, Glenn, and Carol were all standing behind him.

"Nothing," Daryl said immediately.

"Did he get bit? Scratched?" Rick asked.

"I think it's a staph infection of some sort, maybe a bug bite. There's the possibility that it's a scratch. He said he got his shirt torn in town, but I think he would have turned already. I'm gonna put him on antibiotics. He'll need to be monitored."

"What?" Daryl yelled in outrage, trying to turn around to face Hershel, "Ain't no goddamn child! I think I can manage takin' some pills!"

"It's not just that, Daryl. You need to be monitored because you need to stay off your feet for a few days. We also need to watch you just in case…" Hershel trailed off. Daryl understood immediately. They wanted to be sure he wasn't going to turn into a walker.

"I can watch him," Carol said, stepping into the room.

After Daryl was given several bottles of pills and everyone had wished him well, he and Carol headed back to their cell. Daryl made a move to hop up on the top bunk, but Carol stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"No, you sleep in my bed, okay? You don't need to be climbing up and down."

"Where are you gonna sleep?"

"With you, of course. Unless you want me to sleep up on the top bunk, if that would make you more comfortable."

"You can't sleep with me," Daryl said gruffly, emotion thick in his voice, "What if I-"

"Daryl, I'm not afraid. You're gonna be fine. Now go lay down," Carol assured him, kissing him and helping him into bed.

Later that night, Carol sat up on the top bunk, reading one of the books that Daryl had brought her. He'd slept most of the day, and Carol had been grateful for that. She hoped that he slept through the rest of the night.

She would never admit it, but she was terrified. There was a pretty good chance that he could turn into one of those things, just because of a scratch. The ugly purple and blue bump on his back didn't exactly look like a scratch, but who knew?

She wiped tears from her eyes and prayed silently that he would recover from whatever this thing was. Daryl came across as being invincible, but she knew that at the end of the day, he was just a mortal man that could be killed just as easily as the rest of them.

When she was done praying, she set down her book and crawled off the top bunk. Slowly she crept toward the bottom bunk where Daryl lay curled in on himself, facing the wall. Carol got into the bed, putting a hand on his forehead to brush some of the hair off of his face.

She recoiled when she felt that his skin was burning. Her hand was covered in sweat. Quickly, she got up and ran into the hall, screaming for Hershel.

"It's Daryl! He's got a fever!"

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I would like to say thanks to everyone that's been reading and reviewing! It really means a lot to me! I hope you guys don't hate me too much for this chapter. I promise to update soon! I would also like to take a second to give a shout-out to my mom. She has helped me with some of the ideas for the story, and I greatly appreciate it! So, thanks Mom! Anyway, please read and review and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!**


	16. Chapter 16

Daryl felt like shit. His body was on fire, but he felt like he was freezing. The spot on his back didn't ache as much, but he could still feel it there. He watched through tired eyes as Hershel and Beth tended to him, taking his temperature and putting cool washcloths on his head and body.

When he'd heard Carol yelling, he'd been freaked out at first, thinking that she was in trouble. Then he realized that she was yelling about him. That was when he'd realized he was running a fever.

He knew that a fever with an infection wasn't good news, but he tried to stay somewhat positive. He refused to believe that it would end like this. Not after everything that he'd been through.

He wished he could go to Carol and comfort her, tell her he would be okay. He could see her small frame pacing back and forth in front of the door, rubbing her hands together as if she was cold.

Hershel handed Daryl a handful of pills and a bottle of water, which he took gratefully. He would do anything he could to get better so he could get back to Carol.

Hershel made a move to leave the room; Beth was already gone, but Daryl stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Am I gonna be alright?" Daryl asked quietly, staring into the older man's eyes.

"Can't say for sure yet," Hershel replied, and Daryl respected him for being honest.

Daryl nodded and settled back into his pillows, "Could you tell Carol…could you tell her…." He trailed off, unable to say what he needed to because he wasn't sure if the group really knew about them yet.

Hershel squeezed his hand, "Rest now, Daryl. I'll be back to check on ya in a few hours. I'll tell her."

Daryl sighed and watched as the old man headed out of the cell, falling asleep before he made it outside the door.

Carol sat in Maggie and Glenn's room, folding their laundry. She'd been instructed to stay out of her room for a few hours so Daryl could rest. Hershel had said he would check on him in a few hours and determine whether his condition was worsening or improving.

Carol didn't believe much in prayer anymore, not since her Sophia had been taken away from her, but she was praying now. She prayed with everything she had that Daryl would recover. He had to get better. It couldn't end like this. He couldn't leave her now.

Maggie was sitting beside her, helping her fold the laundry. Glenn was lying above them on the top bunk, staring up at the ceiling. Maggie noticed Carol tearing up.

"He's gonna be okay, you know. Daryl's a fighter," Maggie said.

"She's right," Glenn added.

Carol smiled, folding up a shirt, "I know that. I just…he's been through so much. He deserves to live and be happy. Not to go out because of an infection. Just doesn't seem right."

Everyone was silent for awhile.

"Carol, why don't you try to get some sleep? I'll wake you up as soon as Daddy goes to check on him," Maggie said.

"Alright," Carol replied, crawling into the bottom bunk. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She dreamed about a life with Daryl, one where walkers didn't exist, and they didn't have to fight just to live another day. She dreamed that they were sitting on the front porch of a large farm house, sipping sweet tea and holding hands. Their children ran around in the front yard, chasing each other and laughing. Carol looked up at Daryl. After a few seconds, he looked back at her and smiled.

"I love ya, woman," Daryl whispered softly.

"I love-" Carol didn't have a chance to finish before she felt teeth biting into her neck, ripping out a chunk of skin.

Carol woke with a start, breathing heavily. Tears brimmed her eyes, but she forced herself to calm down.

"Carol, are you alright?" Maggie asked her, walking into the room, Glenn behind her.

"Yes, just had a bad dream is all."

"Oh. Okay. Well, Daddy just went to check on Daryl."

Carol got out of bed instantly and ran down the hall to her cell, where the rest of the group was waiting, except for Maggie and Glenn who were following behind her.

She watched as Hershel hovered over Daryl; she couldn't see what he was doing. After several long minutes, the longest of her life, Hershel finally turned to them, a tiny smile on his face.

"His fever's completely gone, and the infection on his back is healing. I think he's gonna make a full recovery."

Carol wanted to cry tears of joy; she turned to each member of the group, giving them hugs. She was just about to hug Beth when she heard a groan coming from inside the room. They all turned to see Daryl turning over on his side to glare at them.

"What the hell y'all looking at?" He growled. Carol smiled widely. It was official: Daryl Dixon was going to make a full recovery.

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing the last chapter! I love reading what y'all have to say! I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter; I know it was a short update, and I apologize for that. Please continue to read and review! Thanks for reading!**


	17. Chapter 17

A week later, Daryl was back on his feet, returning to his normal tasks around the prison. His fever never spiked again after that night, and the spot on his back was almost completely healed. Hershel continued to monitor it, and he was still taking antibiotics, but they didn't anticipate another infection.

Now, Daryl sat in the kitchen on one of the countertops, watching Carol as she stirred a large pot of instant potatoes. Carol had been good to him while he'd been sick. She'd taken care of him, but she hadn't smothered him. He liked that. He'd been afraid that he would have to tell her to leave him alone, but he'd rarely seen her those few days when he'd been at his worst. He'd missed her, but he'd been thankful.

"You're staring. I can feel it," Carol said as she worked. Her voice wasn't angry, just observant.

"Sorry," Daryl mumbled. He'd been staring because he liked watching her work. He would never get enough of observing her, learning all her quirks and how she did things. He'd been doing it since the beginning, but now he could do it much more noticeably.

"No need to apologize. I don't mind," She said, turning to wink at him. Daryl blushed.

Just then, Harley came busting into the kitchen, running at full force toward them. The boy was laughing hysterically, and his blonde curls were bouncing up and down as he ran. Daryl thought the boy had gone crazy until two other boys, a few years older, came running in behind him, laughing and chasing after him. They ran around the kitchen for several minutes before running back out the door without a word.

Daryl smirked; they looked like they were having fun. He noticed Carol was laughing.

"They're cute, aren't they?" She asked, still laughing.

"Yeah, I guess," Daryl replied. Carol turned around to face him, a smirk on her face.

"You guess?" She asked.

"Yeah, I mean they're alright."

"Did you ever want kids?" She asked him, turning back to the potatoes. He was thankful because he was sure that his face was bright red.

"Ain't ever thought about it, I guess. Didn't figure I'd be any good at it."

"You're good with them, you know? Judith and Harley? I can tell you love them, and they both adore you."

Daryl shifted uncomfortably on the countertop. He didn't like talking about things like this.

"Nah, ain't good with them. Ain't hard to take care of a kid."

"Oh, Daryl, just admit it. You like those kids. As much as you fuss about them, you know you like them. And they like you. I swear, Harley is an exact replica of you."

At this, Daryl smirked. He had to admit, the kid was just like him, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't have a fondness for the boy.

"Yeah, kinda freaks me out," Daryl said, chuckling. Carol turned to smile at him and started laughing too.

"For what it's worth, I think you'd make a great father."

Daryl didn't respond; he wasn't sure how to. Personally, he didn't think he'd make such a great father. He figured he'd be just like his old man, angry and abusive. He didn't want that for any kid, certainly not his own.

"You want more kids?" Daryl asked her, blushing. He wasn't sure why he'd asked her that, but he wanted to know.

Carol stopped cooking to come closer to him, leaning against the countertop and facing away from him, toward the kitchen door.

"Honestly, I would. I always wanted a big family. I wanted a large house full of children laughing and playing. Obviously things didn't turn out that way, though. Don't get me wrong, I love Sophia, and I will always be grateful for her, but I would have loved to have had more children."

Daryl listened to Carol speak, noting the sadness and regret in her voice. He was more than aware that they hadn't had sex yet, and he knew that the chances of her getting pregnant at her age in their circumstances was slim to none, but for some reason he was compelled to say the next words that came out of his mouth.

"Maybe it's not too late."

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the short update, but this just came to me, and I felt compelled to write it. I'm not sure where I'm going with this just yet, but I hope that this chapter makes sense, and that everyone likes it! It was meant to be more of a sweet chapter that would reveal a little more about our favorite couple! Let me know what you would like to see happen with this scenario; I would love to read your responses! Please leave me reviews! I really appreciate them! Thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18

_Maybe it's not too late._

That's what he'd said. Carol could tell by the expression on his face that he'd meant it. Carol smiled, turning so that she could look up at him from his spot on the countertop. This man continued to amaze her. He'd been through so much for her already, almost dying trying to save Sophia. He'd also been the one to find her after she'd gotten lost inside the prison. Now, here he was offering her another child, despite the fact that he didn't have a clue about parenthood.

Daryl hopped off the counter, standing in front of her, shifting his weight back and forth.

"I should probably go see if Rick needs me," He said quietly.

Carol smiled and nodded at him, "Yeah, you probably should."

She stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was still for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her waist, stepping into her embrace.

"Thank you, Daryl. I love you," She said to him quietly.

"Love you," He replied shyly, kissing her softly on the lips.

Before he knew what was happening, Daryl had Carol turned around and up against the countertop, kissing her fiercely.

He'd expected her to stop him, but she continued to kiss him back, her fingers running through his hair. He allowed his hands to run over her body, loving the way she responded to his touch.

After several blissful minutes, he felt her pulling away from him. Her face was bright red, but she looked the happiest he'd seen her in a long time. She rested her hands against his chest, trying to control her breathing.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this, but I need to finish dinner, and the other women will be in here any minute. I would hate for them to find us in any compromising positions."

Daryl blushed and stepped away from her immediately. She was right. He'd been foolish to kiss her like that in the first place. Anyone could have walked in on them.

"Yeah, I gotta find Rick," Daryl said, heading for the door.

"Wait, Daryl," Carol said, coming after him. He turned around to face her, "What is it?"

She smiled sweetly at him, "I just wanted to let you know that we're going to finish this later. I've waited long enough."

Daryl chuckled. She was definitely right about that.

"Yes ma'am," He replied, giving her a nod before leaving the kitchen.

As Daryl worked outside in the yard, he wondered why he and Carol hadn't had sex sooner. Even before they'd officially gotten together, she'd always made jokes about it, and he'd joked right back. With everything that they'd gone through, it should have been a given that they would end up together eventually.

Daryl knew the real answer, though. If he was being honest with himself, they hadn't gone any further because he was too nervous and shy to make a move. Sure, he didn't mind pushing her up against countertops and kissing her, but when it came to anything else, he was at a loss. He'd never been with a woman in that way before.

It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to. He'd always wanted to. But the girls he knew back in the old world had just wanted a quick screw. They didn't care about him. They didn't want to get to know him. Call him old fashioned, but he wanted better for himself than just a quick screw. He didn't want to be like Merle, who'd only every gotten with a woman long enough to get in her pants.

His nerves started to get the better of him as he thought about what might happen tonight. What if he didn't know what to do? What if he messed up? What if he hurt her? What if she didn't enjoy it? He could feel himself starting to shake with the nervousness. No, he told himself. Everything would be just fine. He could do this.

_I can't do this, _Daryl thought to himself. Day had slowly faded into night, and his nerves were totally shot. He'd tried to act normal all through dinner, but even he could tell that he'd been acting weird. He just hoped that his behavior hadn't made Carol change her mind.

He walked slowly back to their cell, hating how quiet the cell block was as everyone settled in for the night. Oh God, what if they were loud? What if he was loud? Everyone would make fun of him in the morning. He shook off those thoughts immediately. He couldn't think about that now.

When he walked in the room, he found Carol sitting on her bed, reading a book. From his place at the door, he couldn't see what the title was. She smiled up at him when she saw him, shutting the book and getting up off the bed.

"Hello," She said quietly.

"Hey," He replied, unsure of what else to say. What did they do now?

"Take a walk with me," She said suddenly, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the room.

"What? Where are ya takin' me?" He questioned her. His nerves were already shot; he didn't have time for a walk.

"You'll see. Just relax."

He walked slightly behind her, letting her lead him through the winding prison halls. He could tell immediately that she was leading him deeper into the prison, to the part that had only been recently cleared of any walkers. He kept his eyes on high alert, looking for any sign of movement, just in case.

After awhile, she made a right, turning down the hall once used as offices for the security guards. She stopped at the first door on the right, opening it and sweeping her arm out in invitation.

"After you," She said. Daryl stared at her suspiciously for a second before entering inside the tiny room.

Daryl was at a loss for words. The desk in the room had been shoved up against the wall to make room for a pallet of blankets and pillows that Carol must have put together sometime after dinner. There were several lit candles on the desk, giving the room a warm glow. Daryl smiled slightly, feeling at ease for the first time since their earlier conversation in the kitchen.

"Do you like it?," Carol asked, "I figured you might like the privacy."

"Yeah, it's real nice," He told her softly.

"I'm glad," She replied. Once they were both inside the room, she shut the door behind them. Daryl took off his crossbow, setting it down gently on the desk.

When he turned around, Carol was directly in front of him. She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, just like she'd done earlier in the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her, putting everything he had into it. He knew that he could do this. He wanted to do this. He wasn't going to let his nerves get the better of him.

She pulled away from him after awhile, placing her hands on either side of his face, "Daryl, I know you're nervous, and if you don't want to do anything, I'm okay with that. There's no rush."

"It's fine," He replied, staring into her big blue eyes, "It's just…I ain't ever been with a woman before."

He thought Carol would be horrified at his confession, but she simply smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I thought that may be the case, and that's why I don't want to rush this. But if it makes you feel any better, I'm nervous too. I've only ever been with Ed, and that was no picnic. We got together in high school, so there was never anyone before him. You're the second guy I've ever been with in my entire life."

Daryl was surprised by this admission. He'd known that she'd been with Ed a long time, but he figured there had been tons of guys before him. Carol was gorgeous, and he couldn't imagine other men not being attracted to her, at any age.

He kissed her again, softly, and backed her up until they were standing on the pallet. Carol pulled away and began slowly taking off her shirt. Daryl's eyes widened, and his breathing became shallow. He couldn't believe this was really about to happen.

She pulled off her jeans next, her panties along with them. The last thing to go was her bra. His eyes raked over her body, entranced. He'd never seen anything more beautiful in all his life.

Daryl stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do next. As Carol stared at him expectantly, he realized that he was supposed to be taking off his clothes now. He shuddered slightly. He really shouldn't be that nervous; Carol had already seen the scars on his back, but now she would be seeing all of him.

With shaking hands, Daryl made the move to unbutton his shirt. He was surprised when Carol's hands stilled his.

"May I?" She asked quietly, and Daryl nodded in consent. Carol made quick work of unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off. Daryl was glad the room was dark so she couldn't see him blushing.

"You're beautiful, Daryl. Really," She told him. Then she turned around so he could see her backside.

Daryl gasped in awe and disgust. Carol's back was littered with scars.

"They're all from Ed. Like I said, he was no picnic."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Daryl told her, unsure of what else to say.

"It's okay. I wanted to show them to you so you would know that you aren't the only damaged one."

Daryl turned her then and kissed her, loving this woman even more for sharing that with him. Carol's hands went to his jeans, and she unbuckled them, helping him to step out of them, taking his underwear with the jeans. Daryl had a strong urge to cover himself but realized that he was being foolish. He continued to kiss her as he lowered them down on to the pallet, settling them until he was sure Carol was comfortable.

"Ya alright?" He asked her as he hovered above her, his nerves kicking in again.

"Never better," She replied, smiling up at him sweetly.

Some time later, Daryl lay with Carol in his arms. She was already asleep, her body curled in on itself. He watched her for a long time, loving the way her body moved every time she breathed. In that moment, as blissfully exhausted as he was, he felt like the luckiest man in the world, and he was the happiest he'd ever been.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

**Author's Note: Okay, there it is! I finally put Daryl and Carol together! I realize that the scene wasn't very graphic compared to other stories on here, but writing graphic sex scenes aren't really my thing. Hopefully, I still did the scene justice, and I hope everyone liked it! Please leave me reviews so I know how I'm doing! Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

The sound of screaming made Daryl jump, and immediately he was on his feet, searching for his clothes. The commotion had woken Carol too, who was rubbing at her eyes and trying to locate her clothes in the dimly lit room.

"What's going on?" She asked sleepily.

"Hell if I know," Daryl replied hastily, his clothes already on and his crossbow in his arms. He waited silently for Carol to finish dressing, peeking outside the office door to see if he could see anything. The hallway was dark and silent, except for the distant sounds of screaming.

"Stay behind me," Daryl instructed Carol as they left the office. He took off at a jog, not needing to check behind his back to know that Carol was following. As they got closer to the others, Daryl could tell the screaming was coming from the cell block containing the members of Woodbury.

"Oh, God, Harley," Carol gasped behind him. Daryl picked up his pace, hoping that the kid was alright.

They rounded the corner just as someone fired off three gunshots. A large crowd had formed around someone's cell block; everyone was screaming and crying. Daryl pushed his way through the crowd, not caring that he was nearly knocking people over in the process.

When he finally reached the other side, he saw three dead bodies, one lying outside in the hall, one in the cell across from him, and one in the cell next door. Rick and Glenn stood off to the side, each of them with their guns in hand.

"What the hell happened?" Daryl demanded, looking over the bodies. The one in the hallway was that of an elderly woman, probably in her eighties. She was wearing a pink bathrobe, and she was covered in blood. The body in the cell across from him was that of an elderly man wearing a pair of striped pajamas, and he was covered in blood from a bite in his shoulder. The body in the other cell was that of a younger man, probably in his forties, who was also covered in blood.

"Best I can figure, the woman must have died sometime during the night from natural causes and turned. Killed her husband and the man in the next cell. Both turned, had to put 'em down," Rick told him grimly.

Daryl shook his head, shocked. How had they never considered such a thing happening? There were plenty of elderly people that had been saved from Woodbury; it was completely plausible that one of them might die of natural causes and turn. They'd been so worried about outside sources that they'd never considered the threats lying within.

"What do we do now?" Glenn asked, staring in horror at the bodies.

"We get everyone calmed down and back in their cells. Get a group of the men together to help haul out the bodies. We'll have a service for them in the morning."

Daryl simply nodded as Rick, Glenn, and Tyreese began ushering people back into their cells. He wasn't so good at dealing with talking with large amounts of people, so instead he chose to find Carol to make sure she was alright.

He found her standing off to the side, away from the crowd, Harley in her arms. She had him settled on her hip, and Harley was running his hands over her face, making Carol laughed. He smiled slightly, thinking about how good she was with kids and how beautiful she looked when she was laughing.

"There you are," She said as he approached, smiling at him.

"Ya alright?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. So horrible. I didn't realize something like could happen. Scary, really."

"Yeah," He replied. Harley had his arms stretched out toward him, and Daryl took the boy from Carol's arms.

"What's up, kid?" Daryl asked him, staring into the boy's big blue eyes. Harley didn't respond; instead, he yawned and laid his head down on Daryl's shoulder.

"I think he's tired," Carol said with a smirk. Daryl smirked back.

"Yeah, I think so. Wonder where he sleeps."

"I don't know. Why don't we just take him back to our room? I'm sure whoever watches over him won't mind."

Daryl nodded and carried Harley back to their cell. He let Carol get into bed first before laying Harley down beside her, tucking him under the blanket. He realized with dismay that there wasn't going to be enough room for him. Carol noticed too.

"I think we're going to need a bigger bed," She said. Daryl nodded. The small twin-sized bunk beds were barely enough room for one person, let alone three. He knew from clearing out other parts of the prison that some of the solitary confinement cells held single twin beds. Tomorrow, he would work on getting a couple of them into their cell.

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do," He told her before kissing her once on the lips and returning back to the other cell block to help with the disposal of the recently deceased.

An hour later, three shallow graves had been dug and the bodies had been placed inside and buried. Tomorrow they would find markers for the graves and hold a service. Everyone that had helped with the graves had returned inside, except for Rick and Daryl. They still stood outside, absorbing the quiet of the night.

"What are we gonna do? Any one of us could die in our sleep and turn. We're all at risk," Daryl said quietly.

Rick nodded, "I know. I hadn't realized it before, until now. I want to search the prison tomorrow for keys to the cells. We can lock ourselves in at night. Should keep anything like this from happening again."

Daryl thought about that. In a way, it made sense. If everyone locked themselves in at night, it would lower the chances of someone wandering out of their cell and killing someone if they turned. Then again, many couples and families shared a cell. If one of them turned, then the rest of them would be screwed. And what if someone lost their key? Or what if something happened where they all needed to get out quickly?

"Could work. We can figure it out tomorrow," Daryl said, turning to head back inside. He was beginning to feel the lack of sleep, and he wanted to do nothing more than curl up in bed and pass out.

"Yeah, you're right. We'll figure it all out in the morning."

They walked in silence until they reached the cells.

"Night, Daryl," Rick said, smiling at the man.

Daryl nodded, "Night."

When Daryl walked into his cell, he smiled at the sight before him. In the dark, he could make out Carol's form wrapped around Harley, holding the boy protectively. They both looked so peaceful, it made Daryl's heart ache. He hated that he had to sleep on the top bunk tonight.

As he climbed into bed, he thought about his conversation with Rick. He absolutely hated the idea of being locked in at night; he already felt like a caged animal now. He knew without a doubt, though, that he would lock himself in a cage every night if it would keep Carol and Harley, his family, safe.

**Author's Note: I want to say thank you to everyone that has been reading and reviewing! The reviews are always so sweet and encouraging, and I really appreciate them! Keep them coming! Hope y'all enjoyed this latest update! Thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

Early the next morning, everyone gathered around the fresh graves for a small service. Several members of Woodbury stepped forward to say a few words about each of the deceased. When everyone had said their piece, Rick informed everyone of the idea to lock the cells at night. Not everyone was happy about it, but no one gave much fuss over the decision.

Daryl stood off to the side, as he usually did when the group was all together, silently observing. His eyes scanned the crowd, looking for any sign of Carol, who'd wished to pay her respects. When he found her, his entire body went on full alert. She was talking with one of the women from Woodbury, an older, heavier lady. Carol was holding Harley, almost as if she was shielding the boy away from the woman, who looked like she was going off about something. When the woman made a move to take Harley from Carol, Daryl moved forward.

"The hell's goin' on?" Daryl said, coming to stand beside Carol and Harley. He glared at the woman.

"I'm the one in charge of these kids. You can't just run off with them without telling anyone. You tell your wife here to hand him back!"

Daryl glared, "I ain't telling her shit. What's it matter if she watches after the kid? You ain't his blood. Boy can stay with whoever he wants. Harley, you wanna go with her or stay with me an' Carol?"

Harley swiveled his head to look at Daryl, "I wanna stay with you and Carol."

The woman looked outraged, and Daryl smirked, "Guess ya got your answer. Now get lost."

With a huff, the larger woman walked away. Carol turned to him then and started laughing, her whole face lighting up.

"What?" He grumbled, still glaring after the woman.

"Nothing, I was just laughing at the look on her face when Harley said he wanted to stay with us. I thought her head was going to explode."

Daryl laughed, "I'm gonna go find Rick. You let me know if that ol' broad says something else to ya."

"Will do," Carol said, giving him a kiss on his cheek before Daryl left in search of Rick.

Daryl found Rick inside the prison, talking with Tyreese and Glenn. The three of them were venturing out into the prison in search of keys for the cells. The key ring that Rick had was only good for the main cell block doors, not individual cells. As soon as Tyreese and Glenn walked away, Daryl stepped forward.

"Hey, Daryl," Rick said tiredly, but he still managed to put a smile on his face.

"I wanna get some beds out of the solitary confinement cells for me an' Carol. Bunk beds ain't cutting it."

Rick nodded, "I understand what you mean. Take someone else with you, just in case."

"I'll take Carol," Daryl said, turning away. Rick's voice stopped him.

"Y'all must be getting pretty serious."

Daryl rolled his eyes and turned to face Rick. The man was smirking at him, and Daryl thought it was the happiest he'd seen Rick in a long time. He couldn't believe he was teasing him.

"Yeah, guess we are," Daryl said flatly, smirking and turning to head back to his cell.

Daryl thanked God that this was an older prison and the beds weren't nailed down to the floor. It would have made moving them out nearly impossible. It took some work on his part, and the help of five other guys, but eventually he was able to move the bunk beds out of he and Carol's room.

As he entered the cafeteria for lunch, he suddenly thought that asking Carol to go along with him for the beds wouldn't be such a bad idea. Maybe they could even have some alone time together. He blushed at the thought. They still hadn't really talked about what happened the night before, and that made him nervous. Sure, there had been obvious distractions, but he wanted to know what she thought about last night. Did she enjoy it? Did she hate it? Did she want to do it again? He just didn't know.

He sat down across from her, and she smiled at him as he dug into his food.

"The room looks so much bigger without those bunk beds in there," She said absently, chewing on a carrot.

Daryl nodded, "Yeah. Won't be much room left when I put the other beds in there, though."

"We can make it work," She replied.

They were quiet for several minutes. Daryl decided that the only way he would get the answers that he needed would be to ask her about last night himself.

"Hey, I was-"

"Daryl, Daryl!" Harley shouted, running across the cafeteria towards him. Daryl's face turned red at the stares being directed his way. He sighed. He would just have to ask her later, when they were alone.

"What is it, kid? I'm tryin' to eat here," Daryl grumbled.

"Look what I made you!" Harley chirped, flinging a dirty piece of notebook paper at him.

Daryl flattened it out so he could get a better look at the picture. He'd drawn a picture of Daryl, or Daryl was assuming that it was a picture of himself. The stick figure was drawn with a brown crayon, and a pair of green pants and a long sleeved shirt had been added in. The head was drawn bigger than the rest of the body and given a sloppy smile and crooked blue eyes. His hair had been drawn crudely with a black crayon; the hair was much longer than it should have been. In the picture, he was standing outside, because there were green scribbles under his feet for grass, blue scribbles above his head for sky, and a big yellow sun in the top left-hand corner.

Daryl's favorite part of the drawing, though, was the large black triangle in the middle of the torso. It could only be one thing: his crossbow. Daryl smirked.

"Nice job, kid. I look like a girl, though."

Carol leaned forward to get a better look at the picture and started laughing, "You do look like a girl."

"No, he doesn't!" Harley said fiercely, snatching his paper away from them.

"Hey! Thought that was for me!" Daryl yelled at him.

"You don't like it!" Harley huffed, walking away. Daryl stood up and grabbed the boy around the waist, picking him up and setting him down on his lap.

"I love it, kid. I was just teasin' ya. Ya did good."

"Yes," Carol chimed in, "It's a lovely drawing."

"You really like it?" Harley asked Daryl, looking up at him with his big blue eyes.

"Yeah, kid. I really do," Daryl replied.

Harley scrambled out of his lap, "I'm gonna make Carol one next," He told them before running off to where the other kids were sitting, coloring.

"He really is something, isn't he?" Carol said, staring off after the boy.

"He's something alright," Daryl replied, a smirk on his face.

**Author's Note: Hello! I hope everyone liked this chapter! I just meant for it to be kind of funny and sweet! Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it! Keep those reviews coming!**


	21. Chapter 21

Later that day, Daryl found Carol in the kitchen, washing dishes. Instead of grunting out his usual "hey", he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, for once feeling bold. She leaned back against him.

"Well, hello," She said, humor in her voice. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey," He replied.

"What are you up to?" She asked, grabbing for a dish towel to dry her hands. Daryl stepped back so that she could turn around.

"I wanna go get those beds. Thought you might like to come with me," He said, peeking out at her from underneath his hair.

"Sure. Won't they be heavy, though? You might want to take someone else with a little more muscle mass."

Daryl smirked, "Nah, they shouldn't be too heavy, even for someone all skin and bones like you."

"I didn't hear someone complaining last night about my being all skin and bones," Carol replied, grinning. Daryl's face turned red.

"Yeah, about last night…" Daryl said, looking around to make sure no one else was around.

Hearing the seriousness in his tone, Carol lost her smile and stepped closer to him, "What is it, Daryl?"

"Uh, how was it? I mean, was it okay? Was everything okay?" His face turned redder; he sounded like a complete idiot right now.

She smiled again, "Are _you_ asking _me_ if I enjoyed myself? Here I was thinking that maybe I was the one that wasn't so good. Daryl, last night was perfect. It couldn't have been any better, and you did just fine."

Daryl let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "Are ya sure? Ya ain't just lyin' because ya don't wanna tell me how bad it really was?"

Carol wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him, "Daryl, I have no reason to lie to you. Last night was wonderful. In fact, maybe while we're getting those beds, we could…"

Daryl smirked, "I like the way ya mind works, woman. Let's go get us some beds."

Later on that night, Daryl and Carol stood in the doorway of their cell, staring proudly at their new beds. It had been quite a chore hauling them back to their cell, but it had been worth it for the extra bed space.

Daryl would be lying if he said he hadn't also enjoyed breaking in the new beds with Carol. Just thinking about it now had him blushing. If it was possible, the second time had actually been better than the first.

"I'm going to get Harley. I'm sure he's tired," Carol announced suddenly, jolting Daryl out of his thoughts.

"Alright. I'm gonna go talk to Rick," Daryl said, his face still a little red. Carol kissed him once on the cheek and walked off in search of Harley.

Daryl made his way down the hall, staring off into space. He needed to talk to Rick about going on another run for supplies.

Suddenly something hard slammed into Daryl, making him take a step back.

"Watch where you're goin', asshole," The man said, walking away from Daryl. Daryl growled and zeroed in on the man that had bumped into him. He'd seen him around before, but he didn't know much about him. He figured the man was one of those that kept to himself, which was fine by Daryl.

"What'd you just say to me?" Daryl snarled, glaring after the man. The man stopped and turned to face him. He had the decency to look apologetic.

"Sorry, man. Won't happen again," The man bit out.

"Ya best watch your mouth around me. Get outta here, jackass."

The man nodded and turned to keep walking. Daryl watched him until he went into the other cell block. Now in a foul mood, he decided to skip the talk with Rick and go back to his cell.

He set down his crossbow and took off his boots, settling into bed. He grabbed his sketchbook and a pencil and began to doodle. Several minutes later, Carol walked in, a sleepy-looking Harley in tow.

"You're back early. I figured you would be with Rick awhile," Carol said as she took off her shoes and jeans, changing into comfier clothes.

"Some asshole bumped into me an' pissed me off. Figured I wouldn't be much company."

"Someone ran into you? Did they not know who you are?" Carol said, only half teasing. Usually the people of Woodbury avoided Daryl like the plague. She found it strange that someone would dare get so close to him as to actually run into him.

"Called me an asshole too. Nearly killed him," Daryl growled, his face turning red in anger. He wished he'd gone ahead and snapped the guy's neck. Then maybe he would feel better.

"He called you an asshole? Wow, I'm proud of your restraint," Carol said as she got into bed, snuggling up to Daryl's side. He threw his sketchbook and pencil down on the floor, pulling her close. Harley was already tucked in and sound asleep.

"Maybe he was just in a bad mood," Carol continued, yawning, "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

"Yeah, well, he better stay outta my goddamn way," Daryl huffed.

"I'm sure he will from now on. Now go to sleep," Carol instructed him, closing her eyes and drifting off.

Daryl tried to do as she instructed, but he couldn't get to sleep as his brain replayed what had happened over and over again in his mind. There was something off about that man, he just wasn't sure what.

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone that has been reading and reviewing! I'm always surprised by the positive reviews! I hope this was another good chapter for y'all to enjoy! Please read and review! Thanks!**


	22. Chapter 22

For the next week, Daryl kept an eye on the mystery man that had run into him, watching him for any signs of suspicious behavior. As the days passed, Daryl came up empty and was forced to accept the fact that the man had no ulterior motives. Maybe he'd just been in a bad mood when he'd run into him, like Carol said. Or maybe it was something more. Either way, Daryl couldn't be sure.

Daryl entered into his room, nodding at Carol who was sitting on the bed folding clothes.

"Hey, you," She said to him, smiling up at him as he came to sit next to her.

"Hey."

"Are you done with your stalking for today?" Carol asked him, her voice teasing. Daryl sighed. Woman was too damn observant for her own good.

"What are ya talkin' about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You've been watching that guy for a week now."

"Yeah, well, I'm just makin' sure he ain't up to no good," Daryl replied, chewing on his thumbnail.

"I think he would have done something by now, if he'd wanted to do something," Carol said, folding a pair of blue jeans.

"Yeah, I guess," Daryl told her, hating that she was right.

"So when do you leave to go on this run Rick has planned?"

"Tomorrow morning. Won't be back until the next morning."

Carol stopped folding clothes to turn and look up at him, "I'm going to miss you, you know. Harley will too."

Daryl lowered his head. He already felt bad enough about leaving her overnight. He wasn't exactly happy with the idea either.

"It's only for a night," It was the only thing he could think of to say.

She patted his knee, "I know. I'm just going to miss having you around, is all. I suppose I can get by just one night without you."

"Yeah? Just gonna get over me that fast?"

"Yep. I might even go find me a new roommate for the night. What do you think?" She said, openly teasing him.

Daryl smirked, "Yeah, ya just go right on ahead. Ain't like they gonna stay. Ya snore."

Carol gasped in shock and jammed her elbow into his side, "I do not snore, Dixon!"

"If ya say so," He said, getting up to leave the room. He felt something soft hit his back and knew that she'd thrown a pillow at him.

"Well, if I snore so bad, then how about you sleep somewhere else tonight? Harley and I will be just fine without you."

Daryl just chuckled and left the room in search of Rick.

The next morning, Daryl was sitting outside on his bike, waiting for the others to load up their gear. Half of the prison would be going along on this run. They were in desperate need of supplies, and they needed the extra help. Daryl had talked with Carol about her going with him, but she had decided to stay and look after Harley. He understood her need to stay near the boy and had agreed that it was the best decision. It didn't mean he was happy about it, though. He hadn't been apart from her in a long time. The distance would be hard on both of them.

"Daryl!" He heard somebody yell, and he turned to see Carol coming out of the prison with Harley in her arms. She let the boy down, and he came running at Daryl, jumping into his arms and allowing him to put him on top of the motorcycle.

"Hey, kid. Ya gonna take care of Carol while I'm gone?" He asked him. Harley nodded his head, his expression serious. Carol smiled.

"We'll be just fine. You be careful on that bike, and keep your eyes peeled out there."

Daryl nodded, looking into her eyes, so clear and blue. Carol leaned down to kiss him, kissing him more passionately than she ever had in front of the others.

"I love you, Dixon. Come back to me."

"I always do," He replied, smirking. He kissed Harley on the top of his head.

"Be good for Carol."

"Okay. I love you, Daryl," The boy told him, wrapping his arms around Daryl's neck.

Daryl blushed. Harley had never told him he loved him before, and he had no idea how to take it.

He patted the boy on the back, "Love ya too kid. Be good."

He handed Harley back to Carol and started up the bike, taking off to go to the head of the line.

"C'mon, ain't got all damn day!" He yelled over the engine, and everyone began scrambling to get into their assigned vehicles. With one last look at Carol and Harley, Daryl sped off, wanting this day to hurry up and end so he could get back home to the ones he loved.

Later that evening, Carol stood in the kitchen, getting everything ready for dinner. Harley was out playing with the other children under Beth's watchful eye. As it got closer to time for dinner, Carol realized that none of the other women had come in to help her.

Drying her hands, Carol left the kitchen to find some of the others. It wasn't normal for her to be alone in the kitchen. There was always someone else in there with her. As she walked through the cell block, she realized something was wrong. It was way too quiet. Even with half their people gone, there were still a lot of people left. There was no way none of them were making any noise.

"Well, what do we have here?" She heard a loud voice boom from behind her. She turned around to see a large man behind her. He looked to be in his early fifties, with graying hair and a white beard. He had a long scar running down one of his cheeks, and he looked like he hadn't bathed in a month. Carol didn't recognize him as someone from Woodbury.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

The man moved closer to her, and Carol took several steps back.

"You ask too many questions," He drawled.

"Stay away from me," Carol told him, taking a step back for every step he took forward. She was proud of herself for masking the fear that she felt. Her mind raced, trying to think of how to get out of this situation.

"Where ya goin', sweetie? I just wanna talk to ya is all," He said, steadily moving forward. Deciding to take action, Carol turned and darted into one of the cells, hoping to slam the cell door on him and buy her some time.

He was faster than she gave him credit for, though, and he tackled her to the ground, making her smack her head on the concrete. She realized through a foggy haze that her arm was probably broken as well.

He flipped her over onto her back and started ripping at her clothes. Carol fought back with both arms, hitting him wherever she could get in a blow. Her right arm ignited in pain with each hit, making her even more dizzy.

She screamed at the top of her lungs and searched the room for any sign of a useable weapon, but the room was bare. That was when she realized that the room had been raided. The man on top of her must have been part of a group. How they got in, she had no idea.

Just as he'd ripped her clothes enough to be able to access the parts of her he wanted to, another man suddenly ran into the room, smacking the other guy in the back of the head. The man stopped his assault, temporarily distracted, and Carol was grateful.

"What the hell do ya want?" The man barked, still on top of her. Through her haze, Carol recognized the other man as the one that Daryl had pointed out to her, the one that had bumped into him in the hallway. She realized with alarming clarity that he was the one that had let the group, his group, inside.

"Time to go, asshole. Daylight's fadin'. Gotta get out on the road."

Sighing, the man on top of her sat up on his knees, fastening his pants. He stared at her for a second, and Carol had no idea what would come next. Would he listen to the man, or would he continue his assault on her? Would he go ahead and kill her?

Suddenly, he raised his hand, striking her on the face and effectively knocking her out cold.

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I hope this chapter was worth it! I struggled with it a little, so I hope everyone likes it! Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you think!**


	23. Chapter 23

Daryl Dixon rode up to the prison with a sense of relief. It felt strangely comforting to be back at the prison. He hadn't slept well the night before, unused to being away from Carol and Harley and having to sleep in a vehicle. The trip had been successful; they had enough food and supplies to get by for the next six months, if they were careful.

He first knew something was wrong when no one was waiting at the gate to let them through. Daryl knew for a fact that his motorcycle could be heard over the entire county; there was no reason why no one should be out here ready to let them in. His eyes scanned the prison, and he realized with growing dread that no one was out on watch.

Daryl turned when he heard Rick yelling behind him.

"What's going on? Where is everyone?" He shouted, his head sticking out of the driver's side window.

"Somethin' ain't right," Daryl shouted back, shutting off the engine. He heard the other vehicles do the same. Rick walked up to him, hands on his hips.

"I'm gonna hop the fence, unlock the gate. I gotta a bad feelin', Rick," Daryl said. No one had come out of the prison yet. His mind began to race, wondering if Carol and Harley were safe.

Rick nodded his head, and Daryl made quick work of scaling the fence and hopping down on the other side. He opened the large gate quickly, running back to his motorcycle to pull it inside.

When everyone was out of their vehicles, Rick gathered everyone around.

"Okay, everyone stay close and have your weapons drawn. Keep your eyes open."

Without another word, Rick led them inside the prison, looking all around for any signs of life. They all stopped when they noticed the debris littering the floor. They walked past cell after cell, all of them empty of both people and things.

"We got raided," Glenn said quietly, looking around.

Rick ran a hand through his hair, "Alright, everyone split up to look for the others."

Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn took their cell block. Daryl ran straight for his room, but found no sign of Carol or Harley. With growing anger, he realized that their room had been completely ransacked; there was nothing left but the beds.

He jerked his head up when he heard groaning coming from farther down the hall. He proceeded slowly, his bow at the ready, heading for the last cell.

He turned into the room, aiming his bow, and gasped at the sight on the floor. Carol lay on the floor, her clothes torn and bruises all over her face and arms. She was groaning and rolling back and forth, as if she was trying to wake up. Daryl ran over to her and sat heavily on the floor, grabbing her face in his hands.

"Carol, hey, it's me. What happened?" He whispered.

After a few seconds, Carol opened her eyes, her eyes rolling around wildly until she found his face.

"Daryl, thank God," She croaked out, "You were right."

"What?" He asked, confused, "C'mon, let's get ya up."

Daryl picked her up, one arm cradling her back and the other underneath her knees. He nearly dropped her when she screamed out, scaring the shit out of him.

"What? What the hell are ya screamin' for?" He asked, his voice shaky. He laid her down gently on the bottom bunk bed.

"My arm. I think it's broken. Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," She gasped out, obviously in pain.

In that moment, he felt like the biggest ass in the world. Here she was injured, and he'd just picked her up and crushed her broken arm against his chest like she was nothing. Now he understood why that arm looked so bruised and swollen.

He stood over her, unsure of how to comfort her when he himself wasn't fully sure what had happened. He still had no idea why her clothes were torn, but he had a pretty good idea.

"Sorry about ya arm. What happened?" Carol tried to sit up, but Daryl pushed her back down with one hand on her chest. She looked up at him.

"I don't know. My brain is sort of foggy. I remember being in the kitchen, and I was by myself, so I came to see where everyone else was. Then there was this man behind me, and I tried to run, but he tackled me. I hit my head and broke my arm. He tore at my clothes but someone came and got him before he got any further."

Daryl breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that nothing more had happened, "Who came an' got him?"

She tried to sit up again, this time more forcibly, and Daryl allowed her to sit up for a second.

"Daryl, it was him. That guy you said bumped into you in the hallway. He must have been the one to let that guy in. Were we raided?"

"Yeah, looks like," He said grimly, "Ya alright?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. Is everyone okay? Oh, God, where's Harley? He was with Beth and the other kids outside. How long have I been out? We have to find them!"

Carol was struggling to get out of the bed now, cradling her arm against her chest.

"What are ya doin'? Lay back down! I'll go find Beth and the kid. Wait here," Daryl didn't give her a chance to argue. He bolted out of the room, in search of Rick and the others, hoping they'd found the others.

He rushed down the Woodbury cell block, but didn't see anyone else. He noticed that their cells had been ransacked as well. When he passed the bathrooms, he heard voices coming from inside. He slipped inside as quietly as he could, hoping to catch the assholes that had raided the prison and hurt Carol all in one place. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Instead, he found Rick and the others gathered around in the tiny bathroom.

"What's goin' on in here?" Daryl asked, squinting his eyes in suspicion.

Rick was the one to answer, "Found everyone locked inside. No one's injured. Must have put everyone in here while they stole all our stuff."

"Where's Beth and the kids?"

Maggie stepped forward then, tears streaming down her face, "We can't find them anywhere."

Daryl didn't reply. Instead, he turned and ran for the front of the prison, his mind only on finding Beth and the kids. He hoped that Harley was alright.

When he got outside, he looked around frantically, searching for anywhere Beth could have hidden herself and the kids. He noticed a rusty door over to his right and decided to take a chance on it, hoping he would find some sign of them in there.

He opened the door slowly, praying that there weren't any walkers inside waiting to jump out at him. Instead, he found a bloody and naked Beth lying curled up in a ball on the floor.

**Author's Note: Hello! Thanks for all the reviews! I appreciate them! I was a little unsure about this chapter, but I hope that it makes sense and is worth reading! Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: I want to apologize for such a long wait with this story. I literally had writer's block and had no idea how I wanted to continue with it. I hope this chapter was worth the wait, and I hope y'all enjoy it! Please review and let me know your thoughts! **

Daryl averted his gaze away from Beth's body as Maggie pushed her way through the crowd, obviously distraught.

"Daryl, what is it? Did you find-" Her voice cut off as Maggie pushed past Daryl to find her sister lying naked on the floor.

"No. No, no, no, no, no," Maggie began murmuring over and over, running to her sister and sitting down beside her head. She put Beth's head in her lap and began stroking her hair, silent tears falling from her eyes.

"Is she alive?" Glenn asked, coming to stand beside Daryl.

"She's alive," Maggie said to him, her eyes never leaving her sister's face. Daryl hadn't been sure until Maggie had confirmed it.

"Thank God," Glenn breathed out.

"Can you find me something to cover her with so we can get her back inside?" Maggie asked quietly. As if on cue, an elderly woman made her way through the crowd outside the door, a large blanket folded up in her arms, and helped Maggie to cover Beth.

"Daryl, do we know where the children are?" Rick asked as he approached him, a look of panic on his face. Daryl instantly went back into hunter mode. With finding Beth, he'd completely forgotten that some of the children were still missing.

"I'll keep looking," Daryl told him, squaring his shoulders and preparing to enter back into the large storage room. Beth had been removed and was now being carried back inside the prison.

"I'll go with you," Carl said, seeming to pop up out of nowhere. Daryl just nodded and walked into the storage room slowly, listening for any noises. Carl followed closely behind him, his gun aimed and ready.

Daryl thought he heard shuffling noises coming from behind a door in the back of the room. Carefully he maneuvered past large lawn mowers, taking care not to accidentally trip and fall. The shuffling noises got louder as he got closer to the door.

Daryl cast a glance over to Carl, who was beside him now, and Daryl counted to three, praying that it was children behind the door, and not walkers.

When he got to three, Carl swung the door open, and both of them braced themselves, weapons ready. They didn't find walkers behind the door, though. Instead they found about ten children in what looked like a broom closet, standing and staring at them with wild, fearful eyes.

Daryl watched as a huge grin broke out over Carl's face at the sight of his baby sister in another child's arms. He took the girl from her gratefully, and held her close to his chest, cooing to the baby softly.

The rest of the children gathered around Daryl, hugging onto his legs and crying. He suddenly got extremely uncomfortable at all of the emotion in the room. He didn't know how to deal with a bunch of needy, whiny children. Just then, he heard a noise behind him and turned to see Carol standing behind him, a smile on her face.

"What the hell are ya doin' out here? Ya can't be runnin' around with a broke arm!"

"I wasn't running. I heard what happened, and I came outside to find you. Besides, it looks to me like you're in a bit of a predicament."

Carol was smirking at the children clinging on to Daryl's legs. He huffed and glared at her.

"Well, don't just stand there! Get 'em inside the prison. Can't take no more of this huggin'."

Carol just laughed and corralled the children around, herding them out of the room. Daryl waited for Carl to leave with the baby, expecting Harley to follow them, but the kid remained still.

"What's the matter wit ya, kid?" Daryl asked him, going to stand beside him.

Harley was still for a second before his bottom lip began to quiver and then suddenly he burst into tears. Daryl stepped back in surprise; he'd never heard Harley so upset before, and it caught him off guard. What he found even more disturbing was that the kid had waited until everyone else had left before he'd started crying.

Daryl bent down and picked him up, letting him rest his head on his shoulder as he cried.

"C'mon, kid, you're alright. Been hangin' around me way too long."

Daryl made quick work of making Carol a sling as they sat in their cell later that evening. Beth still hadn't woken up yet, and it was obvious that she would probably be out for awhile.

"Feel alright?" Daryl asked her as he tied the sling around Carol's body, adjusting it so it wouldn't accidentally untie.

"Feels good. Thank you," Carol said, smiling up at him. Daryl cast a sidelong glance at Harley's sleeping form before he grabbed the back of Carol's neck and pulled her towards him, kissing her hard on the lips. He let the kiss linger longer than he normally did, savoring the moment.

They both jumped at the sound of a throat clearing and turned to see Rick standing in the doorway, a small smile on his face.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. How's the arm, Carol?"

"It's fine, Rick. Thank you. How is Judith?"

"She's fine, thank God. Can I talk to you for a minute, Daryl?"

Daryl nodded his head and gave Carol a quick peck on the lips before getting up to follow Rick out of the room.

"What's up?" Daryl asked, leaning against the concrete wall.

"We have to find the bastards that did this. We can't just let 'em get away with all of our things, and they need to pay for what happened to Beth, for what nearly happened to Carol."

Daryl flinched slightly. He didn't know that anyone else knew about Carol.

"I took a guess," Rick offered by way of explanation. Daryl simply nodded.

"What are ya thinking?" Daryl asked.

"I say we head out tonight, as many of us as possible. We find their group, take them out, and get our stuff back."

Daryl nodded, feeling that rage from earlier coming back. He could have lost Carol or Harley, maybe both of them. The assholes deserved to pay.

"Sounds good," Daryl said.

"I'll get a group together. Be ready in an hour," Rick said, turning on his heel and walking away. Daryl sighed. He was tired and certainly didn't want to leave Carol and Harley alone again, but these men needed to be taken care of sooner rather than later.

Daryl returned to his cell to find Carol sitting up in bed, her back resting against a couple pillows that she had stacked against the wall. Harley was sound asleep beside her, curled up underneath a blanket. She smiled at him as he came around the bed to sit down beside her.

"What was all that?" She asked him, taking his hand with her good one.

"Gonna be leavin' in an hour to find the assholes that did this and get our stuff back."

He expected her to yell at him or object to him going, but she simply nodded her head in understanding.

"Yeah, I figured you might be leaving again soon."

"Ya alright with that?" He asked, surprised.

"Well, I can't say I'm happy about it, but they need to be stopped. Harley and I will be fine until you get back. Just make sure you come back to us in one piece."

Daryl smirked, "I always do, don't I?"

She laughed, "Yeah, I guess so."

They were silent for a moment before Daryl spoke up.

"Um, are ya alright? I mean, what ya went through…" He trailed off, unsure of how to put what he was thinking into words.

Carol smiled up at him and squeezed his hand a little bit tighter, "Daryl, I'm fine. Yes, what I went through was traumatic, but I've been through worse. I'm mostly just upset about my arm. It'll take months for it to heal right, probably. And poor Beth. I can't even imagine what she'll go through once she wakes up. I'm pretty lucky actually."

"I just wanted to make sure ya was alright. Didn't want ya goin' all crazy on me or something."

Carol laughed, "Well, rest assured, I'm fine. You better get ready. Rick will want to leave soon."

"Are ya sure ya alright with me leaving? I could tell Rick no."

She looked him in the eyes now, her face serious as a heart attack, "No, I want you to go. I want you to go and kill every last one of those bastards for what they did. Can you do that for me?"

Daryl grinned wickedly and pulled her in for a kiss, "Hell yeah, woman. I think I can manage that."

**Thanks for reading!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter! It took me awhile to get a good concept going, and then I lost my internet for a few days. I hope this one was worth the wait. There's a little bit of walker action, and it's longer than what I usually write. Also, I apologize for any errors. I just wanted to hurry up and get it posted! Please leave me a review letting me know your thoughts! Thanks!**

Daryl stared up at the hospital from his spot behind a tree and sighed. To start, the parking lot was crawling with walkers. Also, the place was five stories tall. He'd been hoping that the group of men they were looking for would be holed up some place more accessible, but obviously they were smart. They, too, must have realized that walkers weren't the only threat out there anymore.

"Not gonna be easy getting inside there," Rick said from beside him, peeking around another tree. They were currently hiding out in the woods surrounding the hospital, trying to decide on their best course of action. They hadn't suspected anyone would be inside the hospital until Daryl had spotted movement on the top floor.

"Nope. Whole damn place is probably rigged," Daryl said, eyeing the hospital. There was no doubt in his mind that the first four floors were all rigged with some kind of traps to keep out outsiders. By the looks of it, most of the shadows seemed to be in the fifth floor windows.

"Yeah, I figured that. What are you thinking?"

Daryl paused for a second before answering, "I say we go in and take every last one of 'em out and get our shit. We don't do this today, they'll be gone by tomorrow morning."

Rick nodded his head and turned to address the rest of the group, "Alright, from the looks of it, the group we're looking for are holed up on the fifth floor. We're gonna go in through the back and search until we find a stairwell that will take us to the fifth floor. Keep your eyes open and stay tight. We gotta a lot of ground to cover and not enough daylight."

Once it was agreed upon, Rick set out at a steady jog toward the hospital, staying low. They were coming in from an angle where there were few windows, hoping that they would remain undetected until they got inside.

Daryl watched as a dozen or so walkers shuffled around the back entrance to the hospital, seemingly content to wander around in circles. As soon as their feet touched pavement, the walkers all swiveled their heads in their direction, mouths opening grotesquely in anticipation of a meal.

Rick stabbed the first one he came across directly in the forehead, dropping it instantly. Daryl set to shooting them in the head, taking down five in a matter of second. He ran around quickly, gathering all of his arrows up before reloading and taking out more.

They took out the walkers with ease, and they managed to sustain no injuries.

They parted the sliding doors with a groan, and they ran inside, taking a moment to catch their breath. The lobby of the hospital was silent and dark, except for the sunlight that filtered in through the large glass windows. Papers were strewn about everywhere, and abandoned hospital beds and machines lined the walls.

They walked slowly through the lobby, keeping their guard up and looking for any signs of a threat. When they came to the cafeteria, they all stopped, unsure of how to proceed. Daryl eyed the room with growing suspicion, already deciding in his mind that it was a trap.

All of the tables were occupied with bodies sitting in the seats, seemingly awaiting a meal. Their dead and rotted faces were illuminated by the sunlight, giving them a warmth that dead bodies shouldn't have had.

Daryl held his breath and waited, knowing that any minute their heads would turn and they would have to fight off a whole other group of walkers. Nothing happened, though, as they continued to stand and stare. The bodies were still; not a single one moved or groaned.

"Think it's a trap?" Rick whispered, his eyes never leaving the room.

"Maybe not. Would've moved by now, I think. Probably best not to find out," Daryl replied with a shrug. He saw no reason to enter inside the cafeteria.

"Might be food in the back. Could be worth a look," Rick reasoned.

Daryl shook his head, "Now ain't the time. We got more pressin' matters."

Rick nodded, and they turned around to keep searching for a staircase. Daryl wasn't looking forward to walking through that cafeteria, even if nothing had moved. The place was still creepy as hell.

They walked down a long hallway that was occupied with what looked like offices, judging by the few rooms that had their doors opened. Tyreese and some of the others made it a point to open up each door, checking for any members of the group that had raided the prison. No such luck.

Eventually they were cut off by two large doors leading into the emergency room. Rick pushed the two doors open, and set off at a quicker pace than he'd had before, obviously wanting to find the stairs.

Unlike the lobby, which had been clear of bodies, despite the ones sitting in the cafeteria, this area was littered with them. Bodies of nurses, doctors and patients were strewn all over the place, some of them completely ripped to shreds.

Getting through the emergency room area was slow work; each body had to be checked to ensure that none of them had turned. From where he was standing, Daryl could see the end of the hallway. A single door at the end had a white sign beside it with a picture of a staircase on it and red flames indicated that it was indeed the stairwell.

Daryl tapped Rick on the shoulder to show him that they were close. As a group, they immediately began heading for the doors, but Daryl stopped them with a raised hand when he heard a clicking noise. It had been subtle, but it had definitely been a click of some kind.

"What is it?" Rick asked, looking all around at the rooms on either side of them.

"Heard something," Daryl replied, straining to hear. All was quiet for several seconds before suddenly all the doors on the hallway opened, letting out a flood of walkers.

"Shit!" Rick yelled, stabbing a walker that almost bit into his arm. Daryl heard the screams of several of his comrades as they were bitten by walkers. Daryl himself had avoided a close call, but he'd quickly recovered and now he was shooting as many of them as he could.

They'd all agreed not to use guns, in the hopes that they could go undetected for as long as possible. Several of the men used axes or swords to take down walkers, sometimes killing two or three at one time.

By the time every walker had been taken out, four of their men were dead, and the rest of them were covered in blood and gore.

"What the hell was that?" Tyreese barked, wiping grime off his face.

"Goddamn trap," Daryl replied, breathing heavy. That had been a close call. Too close.

"Let's go. They obviously know we're here," Rick said, looking at the bodies that littered the floor. Without another word, they continued down the hallway and into the stairwell.

Unlike the rest of the hospital, the stairwell had no windows and was pitch black inside. They all pulled out flashlights, waving them around hurriedly in case the stairwell contained more walkers. All was quiet, though, as they began climbing stairs.

"You got a plan?" Daryl asked Rick as they passed the exit to the second story.

"Not really. They know we're here. We find 'em and take 'em out. Grab our stuff and get the hell out before we lose anyone else."

Daryl nodded in acceptance, but really, he didn't like the sound of that plan at all. Something told him that this wouldn't be a simple feat. They'd already lost four of their men. More death was sure to follow.

Before he knew it, they were passing the exit to the third story. Only one more door to pass before they made it to the fifth floor. They had just passed the door when a deep growling coming from somewhere up above them had them stopping in their tracks.

"The hell was that?" Daryl asked, moving his crossbow all around the room, trying to find the source with his flashlight.

They turned a corner, landing on the platform before the next set of stairs started. Daryl stopped and shined his flashlight toward the top of the stairs.

The faces of two large dogs stared back at him. Their eyes seemed to glow, and they licked their lips in anticipation, growling and barking. Daryl could tell that they'd been starved by the fact that he could see their ribcages even from where he was standing.

Quickly, Daryl shot off an arrow, hitting the first dog in the forehead and dropping it instantly. The other one was quicker, though, and pounced him, knocking him back into a couple other men and knocking the crossbow out of his hands.

"Sonofabitch!" He yelled, punching the dog in its muzzle. It didn't seem to faze it, though. The dog continued to bite at him, aiming for his face.

Daryl jumped when a gunshot rang out. The dog on top of him fell to the ground beside him, twitching a few times before finally going still.

He sat up and looked at the man who'd fired the shot. Tyreese stood over him, still pointing the gun.

"Well, they already know we're here," Tyreese said by way of excuse, picking up Daryl's crossbow and handing it to him.

It took them a little longer to get to the fourth story exit, mostly because they made sure to check every nook and cranny for any rabid dogs. The remainder of their time in the stairwell was quiet as they approached the fifth story exit.

Rick turned then to address the group as a whole.

"We go in fast, we go in hard. Take out anyone we find inside, dead or living. When it's done, we grab what's ours and anything else of use and hightail it out. We ready?"

Everyone nodded their heads, raising their weapons and bracing themselves for whatever was sure to be behind that door.

With a nod from Rick, Daryl opened up the exit to the fifth floor, his knife ready in his hand, ready to take out anyone that was on the other side of that door.


	26. Chapter 26

Daryl sprung forward, knife in hand, expecting the group of men to be on the other side of the door waiting, but instead, he was met with an empty hallway. Sheathing the knife, he pulled his crossbow around. A long hallway stretched out before them; it seemed to go on forever. Slowly, Daryl started forward, his eyes scanning their surroundings. He had a feeling that they were headed into a trap.

"What do you think their game plan is?" Tyreese asked no one in particular. Rick responded first.

"I have no idea. We just need to keep our eyes open and be prepared for anything."

"Something ain't right. Got the feelin' we're headed right for the slaughter house." Daryl said. Some of the others mumbled words of agreement.

Rick didn't reply; instead, they kept on going down the hallway, past dozens of hospital room doors. They stopped to check each one they came to, but found nothing, or no one, inside them.

As they walked, Daryl couldn't help but notice the state of the floors. Papers and medical equipment were strewn everywhere, and there were dried pools of blood all over, as if someone had poured out buckets of blood everywhere. He found it strange that the men living up here wouldn't bother to clean any of it up.

Just then, a bloodcurdling scream rang out, and they all turned to see one of the Woodbury men on the ground, clutching at his leg. Blood was pouring out all over the floor, and the man looked ready to pass out.

"Is that…is that a bear trap?" Someone asked, and they all gathered around for a better look. Sure enough, his foot was caught in a bear trap that had been concealed by some papers and other things. Daryl looked at the wound grimly. Every bone in his ankle would be shattered.

"Hold on, we're gonna get you out of this," Rick assured the man, studying the bear trap. They didn't get the chance, though. Another scream rang out as another one of their men was stabbed in the back with a knife. Within seconds, men were swarming them from all sides, coming at them with various weapons.

Daryl went into fight moment, taking out three men with his crossbow. The sounds of battle were all around him as the group fought to survive. It seemed like men were coming out of the woodwork; what should have been a simple skirmish was turning into all out war.

Daryl killed several more men and watched helplessly as a few of their own died. Another man came at him with an ax, aiming for his head. Daryl took him down fairly easily, but missed the man creeping up behind him. He cried out in pain when he felt a sharp object enter into his shoulder blade. Turning, he faced the man, trying to fire off an arrow, but finding that his arm no longer worked.

"Looks like you're havin' some issues there," The man said, a cocky grin on his face. Daryl growled in anger.

"You gonna stand there an' yap all day or are ya gonna fight me like a real man?" Daryl goaded him, hoping that the man would come at him. He would enjoy beating the shit out of this guy.

All Daryl saw was red as he threw his crossbow to the ground and lunged at the man. He landed heavily on top of him and managed to get in a good blow to his face, but the man had been anticipating that he would pounce on him, and he was able to deflect his other punches.

They rolled around on the floor as men fought all around them, throwing punches and trying to gain the upper hand. Daryl stood up on his knees and continued to punch the guy in the face until his face was swollen and he was no longer recognizable. The man was a big talker, but he was a shitty fighter.

Eventually the man went still beneath him, and Daryl knew that he was dead. Wiping the blood from his knuckles onto his pants, Daryl quickly stood up and grabbed his crossbow. He looked at the other men still fighting for their lives and realized that his group had come out on the winning side, minus a few losses. Most of the other group's men were dead or nearly there.

Daryl managed to take out the remaining four men from the other group with his crossbow. Everyone gathered around him, looking down at the carnage and accessing their wounds.

"You sure did a number on him," Rick teased, looking down at the man that Daryl had beaten to death.

Daryl didn't say anything, still too worked up to respond. He was beginning to feel the side effects of the nasty wound in his shoulder blade. He wanted nothing more than to grab all of their stuff and head back home to Carol's arms.

When everyone had caught their breath, they continued to search the fifth floor; not for men, but for their belongings. Sure enough, they found all of their things stowed away in bags and backpacks in a waiting room where the men must have been sleeping, judging by all of the sleeping bags, which they grabbed.

Pretty soon, everyone was loaded with gear. They headed back to the stairwell, making sure to avoid any other potential traps. As they headed down the stairs, Daryl couldn't help but think that it had been too easy. While everyone else celebrated, he was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Eventually they made it downstairs and out of the hospital. As they walked back to their vehicles, Daryl kept looking over his shoulder, afraid that they'd somehow missed something and were about to be ambushed. Nothing happened, though, and Daryl nearly sighed in ecstasy when he was finally able to sit down on his bike and rev its engine. He was so happy, he almost forgot about the stab wound in his shoulder that was throbbing with pain. Almost.

The entire drive back to the prison, all Daryl could think about was Carol. He wondered how she was doing. He found it humorlessly funny that they both had arm injuries on the same arm. He couldn't wait to let her patch up his arm so he could curl up with her in their bed. Hell, he might even see if one of the others could take Harley for the night so that they could have some time alone.

It was dark by the time they pulled in to the prison. Daryl never thought he would be so happy to go to prison, but here he was nearly grinning like an idiot as one of the Woodbury men opened the gate for them. Daryl pulled right up to the prison entrance, nearly bolting off the bike before he'd stopped it.

After unloading several bags of gear and carrying them inside, he went looking for Carol. He found her and Harley in their room, curled up together on the bed reading. She looked up when he stepped in the doorway, and he was nearly blown away by the happiness that radiated from her. She got up gingerly so as not to jostle her arm and ran to him.

"I'm so glad you're home," She murmured into his chest, hugging him harder than she ever had.

"Me too," He rasped, kissing her on the top of her head.

Carol went to wrap an arm around his shoulder, but gasped when her hand came back sticky and wet.

"Daryl! What happened?" She gasped, shoving him over to the bed so he could sit down.

"Nothin'. Some asshole got the jump on me. Stabbed me in the back."

"You should have said something! How long were you going to let it go like this?"

"I was gonna tell ya. Just wanted to say hey first," He told her, smirking.

"Sometimes I want to strangle you, you know that?" She teased him, helping him out of his shirt so she could tend to the wound.

They talked about the trip while she cleaned and stitched his wound. Daryl had been hoping that Harley was awake, but he was out cold for the night. As he watched the boy's sleeping form, he realized how much he had in this new world and how much he still had to live for. Suddenly, starting a life in this prison didn't seem like the worst idea in the world.

Daryl turned his head when Glenn entered into their cell. His face was grim.

"Rick wants to have a meeting. Says it's important."

"Now?" Daryl asked. He was tired. Couldn't they all talk in the morning?

Glenn just shrugged and left the room.

"I wonder what his deal is," Carol mused. "Alright, you're all done. Let's go see what Rick has to say."

They found everyone gathered in the cafeteria, standing around Rick, who was standing on one of the tables.

"What's going on, Rick?" Hershel asked, never one to beat around the bush.

Rick sighed and looked around at each and every one of them, his gaze haunted and unsure.

"I think we should leave the prison."

**Author's Note: Okay, you guys. Honestly, I hate this chapter. I think it's the worst chapter I've written for any of my stories, and I just don't like it. It's been like a month since I've updated this story, and I needed to get something written, but I've just really been at a loss. Hopefully it at least brought some closure because I'm going to have the group leave the prison. I just think it's time for a change of scenery. Please leave me a review letting me know your thoughts! Again, I apologize for the crappy chapter, but I think y'all will like what I have planned next for the group. Thanks for reading!**


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